Partially Hydrogenated Fat in Bakery & Shortening: Good or Bad?

Figure 1 : Various types of vegetable oils http://www.lamsoon.com.my/images/naturelCookingOil03.jpg I believe each household definitely has vegetable oil (eg: Palm oil, corn oil, sunflower oil and etc.) in his/her cabinet for daily cooking. But, how about semi-solidified/solidified vegetable fat? Have you ever thought about the process, reasons and the health effects of these fats especially in bakery and shortening? Let’s dive deep into the science of vegetable oil/fats! Semi/solidified vegetable fat is produced through the process of hydrogenation which converts liquids oil into solid or semisolid fats in the presence of heat, catalysts such as nickel and hydrogen gas. As vegetable oil is liquid due to the presence of double bonds, therefore this process causes the double bonds to become saturated and at the same time become trans configuration. The degree of hydrogenation can be conducted partially or completely depending on the final food applications. Therefore, ...