Hydrogenation of vegetable oils (solid fats)
Hidrogenación de aceites vegetales (grasas sólidas)
- Date
- 1901 · confidence high
- Place
- Herford, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
- Credited to
- Wilhelm Normann
- Field
- Life & health
What it is
Normann turned liquid oils into solid fats by adding hydrogen with a nickel catalyst (patent of 1902). It made cheap margarine and vegetable shortening (Crisco, 1911) possible.
The patent was invalidated in the United Kingdom in 1913 after litigation with Joseph Crosfield & Sons. Trans fats were linked to cardiovascular disease from the 1990s.
What it led to
- margarines and vegetable shortenings (Crisco, 1911)
- industrial baked goods and fried foods with partially hydrogenated fats
- bans on trans fats for cardiovascular risk