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The application of chemistry has helped change the food industry. Today, Hydrogenation in particular plays a big role in that field. Its applications in the food industry is what helped fast food restaurant business expand on a big scale as it helps in making the food fast and in a consistent manner. It has also allowed baked food producers to replace organic butter with hydrogenated oils which enabled them to enhance their products by giving an appropriate texture to their final products. However, the consumption of hydrogenated food has been found to cause health implications due to the change in its organic compounds.

The term Hydrogenation derives from hydrogen as the whole chemical reaction revolves around it. The chemical reaction envolves molecular hydrogen (H2) and another compound or element, usually in the presence of a catalyst such as nickel, palladium or platinum. In the food industry, Hydrogenation process is applied on liquid oils in which it converts the oil into solid or semi-solid fats. Changing the degree of saturation of the fat changes some important physical properties, such as the melting range which is why liquid oils become solid or semi-solid. By adding hydrogen atoms, the oils are converted into solid fats with an extended shelf-life, so they can be readily used in commercial baked products and fast foods. Fast food restaurants for instance rely on hydrogenated oil to enhance the texture of their food and prepare the food faster. Baked food producers on the other hand use hydrogenated oil as a replacement for animal fat to saturate their products as it is a cheaper substitute and it extends the shelf life of their products. However, partially hydrogenated oils –also known as trans-fatty acids or TFA- do not have the same organic features as naturally saturated or unsaturated fats, and thus, makes them ditremintal to the human health. Although according to the European Food Information Council that trans-fatty acids are not directly linked with diseases such as cancer1, a study published by the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition has found evidence that the consumption of FTAs is related to risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) 2 due to the chemical change in the organic compound.

An alternative to trans-fats would be simply to return to using saturated fat from animals such as butter rather than consuming synthetic FTAs; and as the saying goes: "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

1 "Hydrogenated Oils Adverse Effects On Health". European Food Information Council. N.p., (2016). Web.

2 "Health Effects Of Trans-Fatty Acids: Experimental And Observational Evidence". Nature Publishing Group. N.p., (2009). Web.