Difference between fat and oil

Answer 1

Fat and oils are similar chemically, but the subtle differences that do exist have major effects on health. Fats and oils both consist of molecules that have 'backbones' of long chains of carbon and hydrogen atoms chemically bonded together.

These molecules are called 'fatty acids'. Fats and oils in the diet (and most fat in the body) contain three fatty acids chemically bonded to form one fat molecule.

A fatty acid may be 'saturated' with hydrogen (ie, all the carbon atoms along the fatty acid backbone have the maximum possible number of hydrogen atoms attached), 'monunsaturated' (two adjacent carbon atoms have less hydrogen atoms) or 'polyunsaturated' (more than two carbon atoms along the fatty acid backbone have less hydrogen atoms)

Fats from other animals (eg pork, chicken) are less saturated than ruminant fat and contain some polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Fats from game meat (eg, kangaroo, deer) tend to be lower still in saturated fatty acids and often contain significant quantities of a range of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Fats from fish are generally highly unsaturated and contain a form of polyunsaturated fatty acid known as 'omega-3' -

Because butter and margarine both contain some water (about 20%), they provide ~30 kJ per gram. Cream contains even more water, so the energy content of 1mL (~ 1gram) of cream is ~14 kJ.

Cooking oils and fats generally contain little or no water, so they provide the full 37 kJ per gram. Although all pure fats provide about the same amount of energy, there is some evidence that the effects of fats on weight gain differ according to their chemical composition.

It appears that the degree of saturation influences the amount of weight gained or lost on an otherwise similar diet.

Answer 2

Both fats and oils are lipids. The psychical difference is that fats (e.g. lard and butter) are solid at room temperature while oils are liquid. Chemically oils contain more double bond then fats therefore gives them a lower melting point so is liquid.

Answer 3

Not much. All Fats contain Oils so that means all Oils have fat in them.