Fat is an organic compound critical to living organisms. It is used to dissolve vitamins, maintain the structure and function of the cellular membrane and provide or store energy. There are three main types of dietary fats: saturated fat, monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat, each of which varies slightly in its molecular composition. Fat in the monounsaturated form can primarily be found as an oil in the human diet.
Features
Dietary fat is composed of structures known as fatty acid chains -- long "tails" of carbon and hydrogen atoms linked to a backbone. The type of fat depends upon the structure of the chain. The term "saturated fat" refers to the fact that there is only a single bond between each of the carbon atoms. Unsaturated fat, on the other hand, has at least one double bond in the structure. Monounsaturated fat, more specifically, contains only one double bond in the entire fatty acid chain.
Density
Monounsaturated fatty acid cannot pack very tightly together due to the presence of the double bond. In other words, it is not very dense. For this reason, monounsaturated fats are typically liquid or gel-like at room temperature. They begin to turn solid only when chilled. The addition of even more double bonds will continue to affect the density. Polyunsaturated fats, which contain multiple double bonds, tend exclusively to maintain liquid form at room temperature.
Oil
Fats are actually part of a broader category known as lipids. All lipids are organic compounds that can repel water, a characteristic called hydrophobia. Fatty acids have a non-polar region at the end of the tail that is not soluble in water. In liquid form monounsaturated fats often appears as an oil. If you have ever cooked, then you will probably notice that oil is very hydrophobic. Therefore, oily substances in the typical diet will tend to contain a lot of monounsaturated fats.
Sources
Monounsaturated fat mostly, but not always, appears in plant-based products. According to the Mayo Clinic, a major source in the typical American diet is olive oil, a fat derived from the fruit of the olive tree. It is used for salad dressing and general cooking. Another source, peanut oil, is commonly used to fry foods such as French fries and chicken. Oatmeal, nuts and avocados also contain monounsaturated fat. Meat and whole milk products are animal-based sources. Most foods, however, will contain at least a certain amount of monounsaturated fat, no matter what you are eating. It simply depends upon the lipid profile in a food source.
Considerations
Nearly all dietary fat exists in a specific combination of saturated and unsaturated fats. The fatty acid profile of olive oil, for example, is 74 percent monounsaturated fat. The dietary fat of canola oil, which is made from the rapeseed plant and used as cooking oil, is 59 percent monounsaturated. Pecans have 62 percent and beef contains 38 percent.
Member Comments