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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Functional Foods Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #213868
Title: LOW TRANS FAT SPREADS AND SHORTENINGS FROM A CATALYST-SWITCHING STRATEGY

Author
item Jackson, Michael - Mike
item List, Gary
item Palmquist, Debra

Submitted to: Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/19/2008
Publication Date: 3/5/2008
Citation: Jackson, M.A., List, G.R., Palmquist, D.E. 2008. Low trans fat spreads and shortenings from a catalyst-switching strategy. Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society. 85:481-486.

Interpretive Summary: The relationship between the consumption of trans fatty acids in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and heart disease has driven research toward finding alternative routes to these widely used food ingredients. The formation of trans fatty acids is incidental to the hydrogenation process, but these fats also give margarines and shortenings their important physical properties such as the temperature at which they melt. We have used a catalyst switching strategy, using two common catalysts, to develop partially hydrogenated vegetable oils especially low in trans fats. Soybean, canola, sunflower, and safflower oils have been used to make basestocks. These hardened oils are then blended with soybean oil to give final products with properties similar to margarine and shortening. This work should result in the formulation of low trans fat products and lead to expanded planting of the specialty crops high-oleic sunflower and high-oleic safflower oils.

Technical Abstract: Low trans fatty acid basestocks suitable for blending with liquid oils to make spreads and shortenings are prepared by using a two-step hydrogenation process. The first step uses a nickel catalyst to hydrogenate soybean, canola, high-oleic sunflower, and high-oleic safflower oils to a predetermined iodine value. At this point in the reaction, the second step commenced. Addition of a platinum catalyst at 80°C and 73 psi hydrogen pressure allowed for hydrogenation to proceed to iodine values of 40-50. These products had 11-18% trans fatty acid content. These were then blended with soybean oil (5-50% basestock) to give products with bulk properties similar to commercial spreads and shortenings, but much lower in trans fat levels.