transfat question...?!

I can only really answer this from the technical (chemical) standpoint. I don't know much about labeling laws though.

Oils can have unsaturation in them. This means that the fatty acid component of the oil has one or more double bonds. The double bonds in natural fats and oils are of the "cis" variety, with virtually none of the "trans" isomer.

Sometimes, though, these oils have a melting point that is too low for the desired food application. One of the main ways to raise the melting point is to remove the unsaturation; in other words, to remove the double bonds by converting them to single bonds by hydrogenation. This process results in little "trans" fat, because, if it is completely hydrogenated, all the "cis" double bonds are converted to single bonds (giving saturated fat).

However, sometimes the hydrogenation is stopped before it is complete. This may be done to modulate the melting point of the resulting oil, or it may simply be that it's difficult to get it all the way hydrogenated. If it is "partially hydrogenated" that means that some of the double bonds in the original fat or oil have been removed, but some remain.

The problem with this "partial hydrogenation", however, is that during the process some of the "cis" double bonds get isomerized to "trans" double bonds, without getting reduced all the way to single bonds; and since the reaction is stopped before all the double bonds ("cis" OR "trans") get removed, this means that some "trans" fat is produced.

So, bottom line is that fully hydrogenated fats will contain little "cis" or "trans", but partially hydrogenated fats will contain both.

Sorry if this got too technical, but I hope it helps.

Per the reference above, it does make a difference whether you are looking for "partially hydrogenated" versus "hydrogenated". If the oil is fully hydrogenated, it doesn't involved trans fat. The process to make the oil "partially hydrogenated" does involved the creation of trans fat. You might think it would be the other way around.

Even if there is no trans fat, you still need to look out for saturated fat. A little fat in the diet is necessary, but there are different kinds that need to be taken in moderation.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/trans-f…

My advice would be if you see the word hydrogenated on a label don't buy it - hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated are not good at all. When healthy oils are processed through bubbling hydrogen at temperatures up to 210 C, un-natural fatty acids are created that are called trans-fatty acids.

Your body is unable to use this un-natural fatty acids so the liver see them as toxic waste and proceeds to detoxify and eliminate them. Trans-fatty acids are one of the most toxic wastes that can be inside your body. Trans fatty acids, also, can block your body's use of the essential fatty acids.

Since cooking by scratch is way healthier and you can control the type of fat in your food.