The Effects of Hydrogenation on Soybean Oil

Abstract

Soybeans are very versatile, both as a food product and an ingredient in many industrial products. The oil produced by soybeans is contained within many foods we eat every day. Natural soybean oil contains several essential fatty acids that our body needs to work prop‐ erly, including linoleic and linolenic acids. However, much of the soybean oil consumed in many parts of the world has been partially hydrogenated; that is, it's chemical composition has been changed. This hydrogenation removes the necessary essential fatty acids contained within the original oil. Some of the partially hydrogenated soybean oil has been converted to trans fatty acids.