Practical aspects of hydrogenation and soybean salad oil manufacture

Abstract

Most edible oils are hydrogenated in batch-type slurry converters similar in basic design to those employed when the process was first commercialized in 1911. One major company uses a proprietary continuous slurry process. Other novel batch and continuous slurry systems are available but have not enjoyed significant commercial success. Fixed bed hydrogenation has not been seriously investigated but offers intriguing possibilities. Energy economy is assuming ever greater importance in the design of hardening systems. The accelerated growth of hydrogenation since the 1940s parallels the rapid increase in soybean oil use. In part, it reflects the flavor instability of soybean oil caused by its linolenic ester. When this triunsaturate is lowered by hydrogenation to ca. 3%, a high-quality soybean salad oil can be produced. Standard hydrogenation and separation techniques work well. New separation equipment and processes are entering the marketplace.