Final answer:
The fats produced during the hydrogenation process that resemble saturated fats are trans fatty acids. These trans fats are created alongside saturated fats during hydrogenation, having a linear structure due to their trans configuration. Partially hydrogenated oils contain these trans fats, which can impact cholesterol levels negatively.
Step-by-step explanation:
The fats produced during the hydrogenation process that closely resemble the structure of saturated fats due to the altered chemical structure that results during the process are trans fatty acids. The hydrogenation process creates both saturated and trans fatty acids, the latter of which have a linear shape similar to saturated fatty acids because the carbon chains are not bent. However, unlike most naturally occurring unsaturated fats that have a cis configuration, the trans fats formed through partial hydrogenation have hydrogen atoms bonded on opposite sides of the carbon chain, resulting in a more linear structure.
Hydrogenation, which was developed to make oils semi-solid at room temperature for products like margarine and shortening, converts some of the cis-C=C bonds to trans-C=C bonds in the fatty acids. This alteration in the orientation of the double bonds makes their properties and actions in the body similar to those of saturated fatty acids. Therefore, partially hydrogenated fats contain trans fatty acids that can increase low-density lipids (LDL), which is considered bad cholesterol.