As a result of longer work days, increased commuting and smaller lunch breaks, America’s workers find themselves in need of quick and convenient consumption. Snack foods have become somewhat of a staple in the American diet. As a result, the manufacturers have made greater effort to add freshness and taste to this popular category of foods. In addition to a focus on perceived freshness, manufacturers have also placed greater emphasis on prolonging the shelf life of these snack food products. By changing the physical properties of certain provisions manufacturers can create a more palatable product. One key component to engineering these foods is the creation of trans fats. Trans fats make chips crispier, baked goods moister, and crèmes softer.

Trans fats can be found on a food label listed typically in the ingredients as “hydrogenated oil,” “partially hydrogenated oil,” “fractionalized oil,” and as of January 2006 the quantity of trans fat in the food product is required to be clearly labeled as grams of “trans fat.” Trans fats are the outcome of a procedure called hydrogenation. This refers to the addition of hydrogen gas to liquid fats. During this process some of the double bonds of unsaturated fatty acids in the fat molecules are converted to single bonds, resulting in a greater amount of the insalubrious saturated fats. Another consequence of hydrogenation is the alteration of some of the cis double bonds. Some of these bonds modify to the trans configuration, the resettlement of double bonds on the fatty acid chain.

There are different levels of hydrogenation that can be performed on a liquid fat. Qualities such as the type of oil and the conditions of the procedure can result in different outcomes.Conditions such as temperature, pressure, catalyst and duration of the hydrogen process can offer slight distinctions. Some food manufacturers choose to partially hydrogenate the oils in their products. This denotes that the oils preserve a considerable amount of unsaturation in its fatty acid chains.

While the benefits of trans fats are evident to our taste buds, in the preservation of freshness, and the desired crispness and solidity in food textures, there are downfalls to the convenient ingredient. Trans fatty acids carry a risk to heart and artery health. Trans fat reduces the body’s protective HDL cholesterol and increases the dangerous LDL cholesterol, leading to a notable change in cholesterol ratio. Trans fat is considered as dangerous as saturated fat for heart disease risk. It should be noted links between cancer and trans fat consumption are also being examined.

As a result of the consequences of trans fats, many manufacturers are now seeking out alternative measures to preserve shelf life and food solidity. Also, appropriate labeling of trans fats is now being enforced, allowing the consumer to become more aware of their dietary choices. Trans fats are still very present in the American consumption (an estimate 3% of caloric energy), therefore it is of great significance that people monitor there consumption of trans fat. Many doctors are recommending to lump trans fat in with saturated fat so collectively they remain less than 10% of the total diet.