Oils are hydrogenated, that is, hydrogen atoms are forced into their molecules under pressure to make them more saturated, because saturated fats are thicker, more solid and less liquid, than unsaturated fats.
The hydrogen atoms fill in hydrogen-poor gaps (Techspeak: double bonds, which are more rigid than single bonds) in the oil molecules, and that makes them more flexible. They can then pack together more closely and stick to each other more tightly, so they won’t flow as easily.
Result: The fat becomes thicker, less liquid and more solid.
If the oils in your margarine hadn’t been partially hydrogenated, you’d be pouring it instead of spreading it. But partial hydrogenation may fill in only about 20 percent of the missing hydrogen atoms in the molecules. If your margarine were 100 percent hydrogenated, it would be like trying to spread candle wax on your toast.
Unfortunately, saturated fats are less healthful than unsaturated fats.
Food manufacturers therefore walk a tightrope between minimum hydrogenation for health and enough hydrogenation to produce desirable textures.
Related Posts
-
What is Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil and What does Hydrogenation Mean?
Hydrogenation is, quite sensibly, the name of the process by which hydrogen is added to something. Hydrogen is the lightest of all known substances, but paradoxically, hydro-genating an oil makes it thicker and…
-
How do oil companies stop an oil well blowout that comes from a sea floor oil rig?
On June 3, 1979, a Mexican oil well, Ixtoc 1, blew out when an undersea drill hit a volatile pocket of oil and gas. The immense pressure of the gas caused the well…
-
What is the Difference between Light Olive Oil and Regular Olive Oil and Is Light Olive Oil Healthier?
Light olive oil does not contain fewer calories than other olive oils or, for that matter, any edible oils. As far as calories are concerned, an oil is an oil, all oils are…
-
Where do Trans Fats come from and Do all Hydrogenated oils contain Trans Fats?
There is a lot of confusion surrounding trans fatty acids or "trans fats." The public's concern about trans fatty acids was heightened on July 1, 2003, when the FDA issued its final rule…
-
Where does the term “banana oil” come from and What does banana oil mean?
Actually an aromatic liquid having the odor of a ripe banana, chiefly employed as a solvent for lacquers. Chemically it is isoamyl acetate, if you know what that is. But when your young…
-
How did neat’s-foot oil get its name and Where does the term neat’s foot oil come from?
When we were very young, we would apply this dressing to our rather scuffed shoes, by natural logic the inference was that the oil gave one a neat foot, hence the name. But…
