Correlations for trans‐isomer formation during partial hydrogenation of oils and fats

Two empirical models are proposed to correlate the amount of trans‐isomers formed during the partial hydrogenation of oils and fats as a function of the degree of hydrogenation and process variables. From minimal experimental data, constants for these models can be obtained and used to interpolate or extrapolate the trans‐isomer data to predict the amount of trans‐isomers formed during a partial hydrogenation or to select processing conditions for a desired amount of trans‐unsaturation. The application of these models has been demonstrated using hydro‐genation data for soybean and rapeseed oils.