Fatty acids are made from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Fatty acids are constructed from the chemical elements carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. Fatty acids can be divided into a carboxylic acid head groupâhence fatty acidâlinked to a long chain of carbon atoms. The bond between the carbon atoms stores a large amount of biochemical energy and is very stable, allowing fats to be an efficient long-term store of energy in your body.
Healthy Eating. Shortening is a solid fat that is derived either from plant or animal sources. Shortening derived from animals comes from lard, while those derived from plants undergo a process known as hydrogenation that changes the chemical composition and allows a normally liquid oil to remain a solid.
Shortening is any fat that is solid at room temperature and used to make crumbly pastry and other food products. Shortening is used in pastries that should not be elastic, such as cake.Although butter is solid at room temperature and is frequently used in making pastry, the term shortening seldom refers to butter, but is more closely related to margarine.he opposite of a short dough is a long dough or dough that stretches. Vegetable shortening (or butter, or other solid fats) can produce both types of dough; the difference is in technique.