Trans Fatty Acids (TFAs)
Fats & Lipids
Trans Fatty Acids (TFAs) contain at least one trans-configured double bond, remain chemically unsaturated and include multiple individual fatty acids.
A double bond restricts the free rotation possible around a single bond. Cis geometry places chain segments on the same side and usually introduces a bend; trans places them on opposite sides. A trans fatty acid remains chemically unsaturated, but its nutritional implications should not be equated with those of ordinary cis-unsaturated fats.
Saturation concerns carbon–carbon double bonds in a fatty-acid chain, not fullness after eating or a food's energy content. One double bond defines monounsaturation; multiple bonds define polyunsaturation. Their positions and cis or trans geometry also matter, so counting bonds alone cannot explain every physical property or biological effect.
In fatty-acid notation, the number before the colon usually gives carbon count and the next number gives double-bond count. An omega family or bond position may follow. This is not an intake weight or recommended dose. Distinguishing some isomers also requires specifying bond positions and spatial geometry beyond the basic code.
A relatively straight chain does not make a trans fatty acid saturated; geometry and double-bond count are separate properties.
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