The oil is then subjected to processing according to end product use. Different treatments are used to process salad oils, margarines and shortenings. Working Your Way Through The Fat Maze Fats or lipids occur naturally in food. Fats play an important role in both nutrition and food preparation. Fats provide a concentrated source of energy for our bodies, energy storage, insulation and transport fat soluble vitamins to the small intestine for digestion.
Fats also play in important role in food preparation.
Not only do fats give food flavor and a mouth-feel which we all enjoy, but they act as tenderizing agent in baked products and a heat transfer medium in frying foods. Fats and oils are made up of basic units called fatty acids. Fatty acids are the basic building blocks of fats just as amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Each type of fat is a mixture of different fatty acids. Types of Fatty Acids 1.