What is the difference between hydrogenated fat and saturated fat?

Question

Nolan Allen · Accepted Answer

It's just a difference of scope.

A hydrogenated fat is more general and a saturated fat is more specific. How hydrogenated is hydrogenated? At least one #"C"-"C"# bond is a single bond, or not every other bond is a double bond. Basically, it goes like this:

So essentially, a saturated fat is just a fatty acid (carboxylic acid with a long alkyl tail) with no double bonds. A monounsaturated fat has only one double bond, and a polyunsaturated fat has multiple double bonds. #omega#-N fatty acids tend to have double bond sequences that look like the depictions above.

We get this from "saturation" meaning an abundance of hydrogens, and "unsaturation" from the degree of a lack of hydrogens.

Maya Allen · Answer

undefined Hydrogenated fat is a type of fat that has been chemically altered by adding hydrogen atoms to unsaturated fats, typically vegetable oils, to make them more solid at room temperature. Saturated fat, on the other hand, is naturally occurring and found in animal products like meat and dairy, as well as some plant sources like coconut oil and palm oil. While both hydrogenated and saturated fats are solid at room temperature, hydrogenated fats are created through a process called hydrogenation, whereas saturated fats occur naturally. Additionally, hydrogenated fats often contain trans fats, which are associated with negative health effects, while saturated fats do not necessarily contain trans fats.