A fatty acid containing one or more double bonds (between individual atoms of the molecule).
Fatty acids whose carbon atoms lack two or more hydrogen atoms. They are usually liquid at room temperature and come from vegetable products contain no cholesterol saturated fatty acids.
Those fats that are liquid at room temperature.
Fatty acids are commonly classified based on their degree of saturation with hydrogen atoms, which is determined by the absence or presence of double bonds between carbon atoms. Unsaturated fatty acids have at least one double bond in their chain, which prevents saturation of the hydrocarbon chain hydrogen ions. Monounsaturated fatty acids have a single double bond, while polyunsaturated fatty acids have two or more double bonds.
Fatty acid in which some of the atoms are joined by double or triple valence bonds that are easily split, enabling other substances to join to them. Monounsaturated fatty acids, found in olive oil, chicken, almonds, and some other nuts, have one double or triple bond per molecule. Polyunsaturated fatty acids, found in fish, com, and soybean and safflower oil, have more than one double or triple bond per molecule. A diet high in polyunsaturated fatty acids and low in saturated fatty acids has been linked in some studies to low serum cholesterol levels .
An organic acid in which some of the carbon atoms are linked to other carbon atoms by double bonds, thus containing less than the maximum possible number of hydrogen atoms (e.g., unsaturated oleic and linoleic acids as compared with the saturated stearic acid).