Animal fats and vegetable oils. The distinction between these rests on what kinds of fatty acids went into the formation of that fat.
1 Fats and oils are composed of molecules known as triglycerides, which are esters composed of three fatty acid units linked to glycerol. 2  An increase in the percentage of shorter-chain fatty acids and/or unsaturated fatty acids lowers the melting point of a fat or oil. Solid fats. In general, fats that are solid at room temperature come from animals and are saturated fats. Picture a marbled steak or the skin of a chicken. Butter is another example of a fat that is solid at room temperature. The fats tend to be solid at room temperature, and the oils tend to be liquids at room temperature. For some functions the liquid is more desirable, such as a cooking oil. For other functions, such as spreading margarine, the solid is more desirable, unless it is too solid. Another reason is that the variations that occur from one fat to another occur in the part that came from the fatty acid. Fats and Oils Sometimes it is important to distinguish between fats and oils, or more completely, animal fats and vegetable oils. The distinction between these rests on what kinds of fatty acids went into the formation of that fat. In commerce the distinction between edible and inedible fats is not the only one that is made. A different but equally important distinction is drawn between the drying and the non-drying oils. The two kinds of distinction are not comparable, for both non-drying and drying oils may be either edible or inedible. THE present study deals only with such oils and fats as are capable of serving as foodstuffs, even though in practice they are not put to such use. The common chemical characteristic of such oils and fats is that they may be decomposed into glycerin and one or more acids of the class known to chemists as fatty acids. Fats: are solid at room temperaturemade by animals, mostlyare more saturated Oils:are liquid at room temperatureare made by plants, mostlyare less saturated Both are lip … ids. The main difference is that oil is liquid at room temperature, and fat is not. The common chemical characteristic of such oils and fats is that they are composed by units commonly called triglycerides resulting from the combination of one unit of glycerol and three units of fatty acids.
http://catalog.flatworldknowledge.com/bookhub/reader/2547?e=gob-ch17_s02 http://www.bastyr.edu/news/health-tips/2011/09/difference-between-solid-and-liquid-fats http://dl.clackamas.edu/ch106-06/variatio.htm http://dl.clackamas.edu/ch106-06/variatio.htm http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/fatsoils/fatsoils1.html http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/fatsoils/fatsoils1.html http://www.answers.com/Q/Distinguish_between_fats_and_oils http://www.fediol.eu/web/oil%20characteristics/1011306087/list1187970078/f1.html
what are the a distinguishing characteristic between fats and oils