🧈Saturated fat vs Unsaturated fat🫒
Fats differ by the bonds in their fatty acid chains. That single chemical feature decides whether a fat is solid or liquid.
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🧈Saturated fat
- ✓No carbon-carbon double bonds
- ✓Straight, tightly packing chains
- ✓Solid at room temperature
- ✓Higher melting point
- ✓Found in butter and animal fat
🫒Unsaturated fat
- ✓One or more C=C double bonds
- ✓Kinked chains that pack loosely
- ✓Liquid at room temperature
- ✓Lower melting point
- ✓Found in olive and sunflower oils
Verdict
Saturated fats are double-bond free, straight and solid; unsaturated fats have kinks from double bonds and stay liquid. The double bond is the whole difference.
Frequently asked
Why are unsaturated fats liquid?+
Double bonds put kinks in the chains, so molecules cannot pack tightly and the fat stays liquid.
What does saturated mean here?+
It means the carbon chain is saturated with hydrogen, holding the maximum possible, so no double bonds remain.
What is a polyunsaturated fat?+
An unsaturated fat with more than one carbon-carbon double bond in its chain.
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