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Partial hydrogenation hardens liquid oils into solid fats

Bubbling hydrogen gas through vegetable oil alters double bonds in fatty acids

Industrial hydrogenation converts liquid vegetable oils into semi-solid fats for baking and frying. Heating oil under pressure with hydrogen gas and a nickel catalyst converts double bonds in unsaturated fatty acids into single bonds. Partial hydrogenation alters some natural cis double bonds into trans configurations, raising the melting point of the fat.

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US Food and Drug Administration

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Tags: fats, hydrogenation, chemistry

Partial hydrogenation hardens liquid oils into solid fats: the short answers

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Bubbling hydrogen gas through vegetable oil alters double bonds in fatty acids. The figure is taken from US Food and Drug Administration, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
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