Introduction of Fats & Oil
Mankind has been familiar with fats and oils and some of their
properties since pre-historic times. For centuries, humans have used
fats and oils for food and a variety of other uses. Evidence has been
found that early civilizations utilized fats and oil as food, medicine,
cosmetics, sources of illumination, paints, lubricants, soaps.
A thorough understanding of the functions of the
chemical and physical properties of the edible fats and oils is a basic key
to formulation of food products with the desired performance
attributes
Fats:
Fats are naturally oil substances occurring in animal body specially
deposited as a layer under skin and around certain organs.
Oils :
Oils are Non-polar chemical substances primarily composed of
hydrocarbons and its both sides are hydrophobic and lipophilic
Difference Between Fats & Oil:
Fats Oil
Fats are composed of high Oils are composed of saturated and
amount of saturated fatty mainly unsaturated fatty acids
acids.
Fats are solid at room Oils are liquid at room temperature
temperature
Mostly derived from animal Mostly derived from plant
e.g. Lard,Tallow,Butter e.g. Sunflower,Canola
Physical properties of Fats & Oil
State
Color
Solubility
Smoke point
Melting point
Polymorphism
Plasticity
1. State
Natural fats are solid at ambient temperature and oils are liquid
under room temperature conditions.
2. Color
Pure fats and oils are colorless,odourless and tasteless. The
characteristic colors, odours, and flavour’s that we associate with some
of them are imparted by foreign substances that are lipid soluble and
have been absorbed by these [Link] example, the yellow Color of
butter is due to the presence of the pigment carotene.
3. Solubility
Fats and oils are insoluble in [Link] soluble in organic solvent
such as ether, chloroform, petroleum,Methanol,[Link] and oil
are very sparingly soluble in cold alcohal.
4. Smoke point
Smoke point also called flash point or burning point, refers to the temperature at
which cooking fats or oil, (butter, lard, Mustard, soyabean)stop shimmering and
start smoking. Higher somke point means more cooking
method(Grill,Roasting,Frying, sauteing )used.
5. Melting point
Fat is having a relatively high melting point and are solid at room
temperature. whereas that having lower melting points and are liquid at room
temperature are called as oils.
Chemical Properties of Fats & Oil
Hydrogenation
Esterification
Interesterification
Isomerization
Hydrolysis
1. Hydrogenation
Hydrogenation involves the addition of two hydrogen atoms to unsaturated
double bonds (C C) in the fatty acid of the triglycerides. In the
hydrogenation process, hydrogen gas reacts with liquid oil at elevated
temperatures and pressures in the presence of a solid catalyst. The
hydrogenation of edible oils is always carried out as a batch process.
2. Isomerization
The isomerization of double bonds also takes place during the hydrogenation
reaction. Two types of isomerization reaction will occur: geometric
isomerization (cis–trans) and positional isomerization (shift of double bond
along the fatty acid chain). The complete reaction mechanism is quite
complicated because of the many steps involved, and it is still not yet fully
understood and kinetically quantified.
Positional isomerization
Geometric isomerization
3. Esterification
The esterification mechanism can take place when a carbocation (or a positively
charged carbon) is formed in the acid molecule and can interact with the oxygen
atom in the alcohol. This complex then transfers the proton from the alcohol to
another proton acceptor to act as a leaving group, leaving an -OR group where
there was once a hydroxyl (-OH) [Link] acids are one of the most
common acids to participate in esterification reactions.
4. Interesterification
Interesterification of oil changes its molecular composition. Oils or fats are
mixture of various triacylglycerol molecules having different fatty acids and
positional [Link] oils and fats with sodium methoxide as a
catalyst at 80 ˚C causes intermoleculeester exchange, changing the
molecular composition, while leaving the fatty acid composition unchanged.
As a result, the oil changes its physical properties such as melting point and
consistency.
5. Hydrolysis
Hydrolysis of oils and fats is the applied term to the operation in which
ethanolic KOH reacts with oil to form glycerol and fatty acids (FAs).
