what exactly is "trans fat"???

Answer 1

trans fatty acid is unsaturated fat isomerized into the trans configuration. It is partial hydrogenation of vegetable oil. mostly found in hardened vegetabke oils, commercial baked foods, margarines and in fast foods. it gives more palatability to foods and lengthens its shelf life, that's why most fast foods use it. but, it poses a great danger to health a it increases the bad choloesterol which may lead to certain heart ailments like coronary artery disease.

Answer 2

A carbon has 4 valences that need to be satisfied. If we represent a point of unsaturation in a carbon chain by the following figure -C=C- each carbon atom has three valences satisfied so we need to add one more to each. If we add a hydrogen atom to each, we can either add it to the top or the bottom, or we can add one to the top and one to the bottom of the other carbon. In the cases where the hydogens end up on the same side we have a cis configuration. Where we have them on opposite sides we have a trans configuration. Biological reactions controlled by enzymes result in the cis configuration, while chemical reactions result in a mixture of cis and trans forms. Partially hydrogenated vegetable oils have a mixture of cis and trans forms. While cis and trans isomers are identical in formulation, they differ in properties and whether they react in certain processes.

Answer 3

Trans fat is just like it sounds.. it can transfer around in the body very quickly. Trans around .. you can't catch it if you tried to .. it is speedy in your blood stream. That is why it is so bad for you. Good Luck ! :)

Answer 4

Transformed fats; ones that have had their chemical structure damaged deliberately or accidentally by processing and are no longer nutritious or easily digestible.