ABSTRACT
Increasing the degree of saturation of fatty oils via hydrogenation is the most important process of the fatty oil industry, particularly in the production of edible fat products. This reaction makes possible the synthesis of food products such as shortening and margarine. Vegetable oils are too soft for margarines because of their liquid nature, while on the other hand saturated fats are too hard. Depending on the end use, most shortening fat systems require an intermediate hardness. Industries use this process to turn cheap oils into simulated butter products. Hydrogenation is an excellent process for consistency change and prolongs shelf stability. However, there are medical side effects due to the trans isomers produced that can cause many health problems if too much is consumed.
