How Can Oils Be Hardened Into Fats?

Question

And Also....

What is the shape of the molecules in saturated & unsaturated fats?

Answer 1

Hydrogenation will harden fat oil into fat. Hydrogenation occurs most often when a mono-unsaturated oil becomes a solid.Vegetable oils often contain high proportions of polyunsaturated and mono-unsaturated fats (oils), and as a result are liquids at room temperature. Long ago, chemists and cooks noticed that this wasn't very good because that made them messy to spread on bread or toast, and inconvenient for some baking purposes.

You can "harden" (raise the melting point of) the oil by hydrogenating it in the presence of a nickel catalyst. Conditions (like the precise temperature, or the length of time the hydrogen is passed through the oil) are carefully controlled so that some, but not necessarily all, of the carbon-carbon double bonds are hydrogenated.

This produces a "partially hydrogenated oil" or "partially hydrogenated fat".

You need to hydrogenate enough of the bonds to give the final texture you want. However, there are possible health benefits in eating mono-unsaturated or polyunsaturated fats or oils rather than saturated ones - so you wouldn't want to remove all the carbon-carbon double bonds.

The downside of hydrogenation as a means of hardening fats and oils

Answer 2

Yes, via a process called hydrogenation which converts polyunsaturated oils to less saturated fats (or solid oils). It is claimed that isomerisation of any remaining unsaturation in the fat to the trans-form may have health implications. Saturated fats have "straight" (actually more of a zig-zag) hydrocarbon chains while unsaturated fats may be either straight "trans" or bent "cis" at each double bond within the chain. It is this tendency of unsaturated chains to be kinked that results in these oils being more liquid than saturated fats in which the straight chains can more easily align and form crystalline regions.

Answer 3

Oils are the triestersof unsaturated fatty acids & fats are triesters of saturated fatty acids.Oils can be hardened into fats by simple hydrogenation so unsaturation is eliminated ie:- addition takes place at double bond. Hydrogenation is carried out in presence of nickel as catalyst. Nickel adsorbs the hydrogen gas and helps in hydrogenation.

Answer 4

Hydrogenation is the most common technique. Hydrogen, in the presence of a catalyst, is applied to the oil to attack the double bonds between consecutive carbon atoms, and convert them to single bonds. The shapes don't differ all that much -- the hydrocarbons are all long chain aliphatics. But there are lots of isomers.

Answer 5

They use hydrogenation which creates the vilest substance known to man - hydrogenated or trans fats. It clogs your arteries, sits in your brain and eventually will kill you. Check out any pastry or cake bought in a store. Chocolate bars and sweets, too (even Maltesers has it).