What is the difference between Saturated and Transitional fats?

Answer 1

What are trans-fats?
Trans fats are "transitional fats" between saturated and unsaturated, and can be present in hydrogenated oils, and to a smaller degree in animal products such as meat. Most of our products contain trans-fat information on the nutritional facts panel. Most of our products are trans-fat free.

Saturated fat is fat that consists of triglycerides containing only saturated fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids have no double bonds between the carbon atoms of the fatty acid chain (hence, they are fully saturated with hydrogen atoms). There are several kinds of naturally occurring saturated fatty acids, with their only difference being the number of carbon atoms - from 1 to 24. Some common examples of saturated fatty acids are butyric acid with 4 carbon atoms (contained in butter), lauric acid with 12 carbon atoms (contained in Breast milk, coconut oil, palm oil, and cocoa butter), myristic acid with 14 carbon atoms (contained in cow milk and dairy products), palmitic acid with 16 carbon atoms (contained in meat) and stearic acid with 18 carbon atoms (also contained in meat).

Answer 2

A simple answer would be Hydrogen. Saturated fats are Saturated with Hydrogen. Saturated fatty acids have all the hydrogen the carbon atoms can hold. Unsaturated have carbons that are open for more bonds.

Answer 3

Saturated fats
These fats are derived from animal products such as meat, dairy and eggs. But they are also found in some plant-based sources such as coconut, palm and palm kernel oils. These fats are solid at room temperature. Saturated fats clog our arteries and directly raise total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Avoid them as much as possible.

Trans Fats or Hydrogenated Fats
Trans fats are actually unsaturated fats, but they can raise total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels while also lowering HDL (good) cholesterol levels. Trans fats are used to extend the shelf life of processed foods, typically cookies, cakes, fries and donuts. Any item that contains “hydrogenated oil” or “partially hydrogenated oil” likely contains trans fats. Hydrogenation is the chemical process that changes liquid oils into solid fats. The tide is turning against trans fats. Since January 2006, all food manufacturers are required to list trans fat content on food labels.

Answer 4

in saturated fats, the carbon carbon chain is completely saturated with hydrogens(can't possibly hold any more). this kind of chain can be stacked tightly in repeating units- and is great at making those dreaded clots in your arteries. trans fats..... i'm not as sure on. i believe these units are bent( the meaning of trans is across, so the chain has hydrogens on opposite sides in terms of sterochemistry), but equally good at stacking, or we wouldn't fear them as much. unsaturated fats don't clog arteries as quickly as their saturated counterparts.

Answer 5

A saturated fat has no carbon-carbon double bonds in it's hydrocarbon chain, whereas a trans-fat (not transitional) has trans- double bonds, but no cis- double bonds