Unsaturated FatFats are synthesized by living things from carbohydrates and other molecules that can form acetate ions. Natural fats contain only fatty acid with even numbers of carbon atoms, and are especially prone to form with a total of eighteen carbon atoms.
Unsaturated fats are fats that have at least one double bond between two carbon atoms. An unsaturated fat may have up to six double carbon bonds; fats with more than one are polyunsaturated. In every fat, the carbon atoms form in a straight line; in an unsaturated fat, the first double carbon bond forms between the ninth and tenth carbon atoms when counting from the terminal carboxyl group. This specificity of location indicates that unsaturated fats in all living things are formed by a common enzymatic dehydrogenation mechanism. Unsaturated fats can absorb iodine at the double bonds. Marine fats particularly tend to be highly unsaturated, with very long chains containing as many as six double carbon bonds.
Unsaturated fats tend to be highly reactive compared to saturated fats, and when exposed to air they are likely to become rancid, or oxidize and break down into volatile aldehydes, esters, alcohols, ketones, and hydrocarbons. The same qualities, however, make them easier to digest; in order for fats to be properly digested, saturated fats must be hydrolyzed to turn them into unsaturated fats, then the unsaturated fat can be oxidized for energy.
Web Resources On Unsaturated Fat
What's all the Fuss about Fats?
What is the difference between saturated and unsaturated fat?
Book Resources On Unsaturated FatUnsaturated fats and serum cholesterol by Dorothy M. Rathmann
Know Your Fats : The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils and Cholesterol by Mary G. Enig
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