What is the hydrogenation of unsaturated fats?

Hydrogenation is a process in which a liquid unsaturated fat is turned into a solid fat by adding hydrogen. During this manufactured partially hydrogenated processing, a type of fat called trans fat is made.

How does hydrogenation change the structure of an unsaturated fat?

Due to the added energy from the hydrogenation process, the activation energy is reached to convert the cis isomers of the unsaturated fat to a trans isomer of the unsaturated fat. The effect is putting one of the hydrogens on the opposite side of one of the carbons.

What happens to unsaturated fats during the process of hydrogenation?

1 Hydrogenation. Hydrogenation is a chemical process that adds hydrogen to the unsaturated bonds on the FA chains attached to the TAG backbone. In this way, an unsaturated fat can be turned into a saturated fat and increase its melting point (List and King, 2006).

Is coconut oil hydrogenated?

(Hydrogenation is an industrial process in which unsaturated fats take on the physical properties of saturated fats.) But only a small percentage, 8%, of coconut oil is unsaturated fat, which means only 8% of coconut oil gets hydrogenated.

What is the most common source of saturated fats?

Saturated fat – primary sources include:

Red meat (beef, lamb, pork)
Chicken skin.
Whole-fat dairy products (milk, cream, cheese)
Butter.
Ice cream.
Lard.
Tropical oils such as coconut and palm oil.

What are 5 food sources of unsaturated fats?

Dietary sources of unsaturated fats include:

avocados and avocado oil.
olives and olive oil.
peanut butter and peanut oil.
vegetable oils, such as sunflower, corn, or canola.
fatty fish, such as salmon and mackerel.
nuts and seeds, such as almonds, peanuts, cashews, and sesame seeds.

Why is it called unsaturated fat?

Unsaturated fat, a fatty acid in which the hydrocarbon molecules have two carbons that share double or triple bond(s) and are therefore not completely saturated with hydrogen atoms.

What are unsaturated fats good for?

Unsaturated fats are an important part of a healthy diet. These fats help reduce the risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol levels (among other health benefits) when they replace saturated fats in the diet.

Is coconut oil non hydrogenated?

Non-hydrogenated coconut oil is coconut oil that has not undergone the hydrogenation process. The unsaturated content of the oil remains intact and unmodified. This type of oil is better than hydrogenated ones.

How does hydrogenation of unsaturated oils affect the final consistency?

The degree of hydrogenation of unsaturated oils controls the final consistency of the product. What has happened to the healthfulness of the product which has been converted from unsaturated to saturated fats?

Why are unsaturated fatty acids converted to hydrogen?

The process was originally introduced to convert some of the unsaturated fatty acids in vegetable oils, as well as marine or animal fats to make them more stable to oxidation. In this process, the unsaturated double bonds (see Chapter 2) in the fatty acids of the oil molecules react with hydrogen atoms in the presence of a catalyst.

What kind of fat is produced by partial hydrogenation?

Most of the trans fatty acids (although chemically still unsaturated) produced by the partial hydrogenation process are now classified in the same category as saturated fats. Trans fat has both the benefits and drawbacks of a saturated fat.

What are the side effects of hydrogenation of fats?

Complete hydrogenation does not have this side effect, because it also hydrogenates any produced trans fats to give saturated fats. Numerous studies have concluded that these trans fatty acids have negative health effects.