Modification of Fats and Oils via Chemical and Enzymatic Methods

Abstract

Hydrogenation, interesterification, fractionation, and blending are distinct processes that can be applied to modify the physical or chemical properties of fats and oils in order to improve their usefulness. These processes can be used alone or in combination with each other. By combining hydrogenation, fractionation, and interesterification with the simple blending of native and modified oils, it is possible to engineer a wide variety of fats and oils with characteristics suited to specific applications. Hydrogenation is used to convert liquid oils into products having different consistencies, melting points, and textures. On the other hand, interesterification produces changes in physical properties by rearrangement or redistribution of fatty acids within and among the TAGs of oils. Fractionation provides a means of producing fats and oils with sharply defined melting characteristics. Keywords: hydrogenation; structured lipids; interestification; fractionation; blending; hydrolisis; lipid modification; fat; oil