Do trans fats form in olive oil when it is heated?
No they don‟t. Trans fats form when any edible oil is subjected to an industrial process called hydrogenation designed to turn liquid oil into an edible fat that is solid at room temperature – that is margarine. The hydrogenation process involves heating up oil under extreme pressure and then bubbling hydrogen gas through it in the presence of a Palladium metal catalyst. For trans fats to form all of these conditions must be in place – heat and pressure and hydrogen gas and an appropriate catalyst. It just can‟t happen in your kitchen. The vast majority of trans-fats in the average persons diet arise from fast foods, cheap margarines, or more commonly commercial baked products and crackers.
