ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews electrocatalytic hydrogenation, precious metal catalyst hydrogenation, and supercritical fluid state hydrogenation to reduce trans fatty acids (TFA) of hydrogenated oils. Hydrogenated vegetable oils have been used since the first part of the twentieth century to expand the application of vegetable oils in foods. Hydrogenated oils contain high quantities of TFA, which have been reported to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease because they raise the level of serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and decrease the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Hydrogenation remains the most viable choice for food manufacture if TFA can be substantially reduced during the hydrogenation processes. Electrocatalytic hydrogenation has been used to produce a variety of organic compounds such as aromatics, phenols, ketones, nitrocompounds, dinitriles, and glucose. Supercritical fluid state hydrogenation was introduced to improve the hydrogenation of vegetable oils. The amount of TFA and saturated fatty acids varied with the hydrogenation temperatures in platinum or other catalyst hydrogenation.
