trans fatty acid

Other forms: trans fatty acids

Definitions of trans fatty acid

1. noun

   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
   types:

   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

   type of:

   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