trans fatty acid

trans fatty acid

n.

An unsaturated fatty acid produced by the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils and present in hardened vegetable oils, most margarines, commercial baked foods, and many fried foods. An excess of these fats in the diet is thought to raise the cholesterol level in the bloodstream.

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trans fatty acid

A fatty acid that is commonly produced by the partial hydrogenation of the unsaturated fatty acid vegetable oils. Trans fatty acids are present in hardened vegetable oils, most margarines, commercial baked foods, and many fried foods. An excess of these fats in the diet raises lipid levels in the blood. The term trans refers to the opposed positioning of hydrogen atoms when unsaturated fats are partially hydrogenated.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

trans fatty acid - a fatty acid that has been produced by hydrogenating an unsaturated fatty acid (and so changing its shape); found in processed foods such as margarine and fried foods and puddings and commercially baked goods and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils margarine, marge, oleo, oleomargarine, margarin - a spread made chiefly from vegetable oils and used as a substitute for butter fatty acid - any of a class of aliphatic monocarboxylic acids that form part of a lipid molecule and can be derived from fat by hydrolysis; fatty acids are simple molecules built around a series of carbon atoms linked together in a chain of 12 to 22 carbon atoms elaidic acid - a monounsaturated fatty acid that has the same structure as oleic acid except that it is a trans fatty acid; the major trans fatty acid in margarine and fried foods