Plastic fats shortening

Winterized rice bran oil is an acceptable oil for salad dressing and mayonnaise. The hard fraction of rice bran oU may be used to replace the plastic fats in margarines and shortening. Hydrogenated rice bran oil is adaptable to specialty shortenings and margarines. 

Hydrogenation is direct addition of hydrogen to the double bonds of unsaturated fatty acids of the oil. Consequently the fatty acids become saturated and thus, less prone to oxidation, and attain a high melting point. Hydrogenation is used to convert liquid oils to semi-solid plastic fats that are suitable for margarine, shortening and specialty products... 

Physical Characteristics. Shortenings are pictured as solid materials but, in reality, are predominantly fluids. A plastic shortening consists of approximately one-quarter crystalhne-solid triglycerides suspended in liquid triglycerides. The ratio of these two phases determines the consistency of a shortening as it relates to firmness, softness, and spreadibUity. Fats and oUs processors change the consistency of a... 

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