Fats

• Consists of a glycerol molecule joined with 3 fatty acid molecules by dehydration reactions.
• Triglyceride is the resulting fat molecule.
• A fatty acid is a long molecule (typically a chain of 16 - 18 carbons) that stores a lot of energy.
• Fatty Saturated: contain one single bond in hydrocarbon tails.
• Fatty Unsaturated: contain double bonds.
• A polyunsaturated fat has several double bonds within its fatty acids.
• Saturated fats tend to be solid at room temperature.
• Unsaturated fats tend to be liquid at room temperature.
• Fats that are primarily unsaturated are: vegetable oils and fish oils. Tropical plant fats are an exception.
• Hydrogenation is a process where food manufacturers can convert unsaturated fats to saturated fats by adding hydrogen. But can also create trans fats, a type of unsaturated fats that is particularly bad for our health.