Which of the following would decrease the melting point of a fat?
A) making the fat crystals larger
B) increasing the proportion of saturated fatty acids in the fat
C) changing the double bond configurations from cis to trans
D) increasing the number of kinks in the fatty acid molecules

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Increasing the number of kinks in the fatty acid molecules will introduce more unsaturation, which will decrease the melting point of the fat. This is because unsaturated fatty acids have a lower melting point than saturated fatty acids due to the kinks preventing tight packing of the fatty acid molecules. The other options (A, B, C) would all actually increase the melting point of the fat.

Which of the Following Would Decrease the Melting Point of a Fat