HPAS Previous Year Question Paper 2022 – Science

The correct answer is: Hydrogenation.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 The process of converting edible oils into fats is known as hydrogenation. This chemical reaction involves adding hydrogen to the double bonds of unsaturated fatty acids present in vegetable oils, transforming them into saturated fats, which are solid or semi-solid at room temperature. This process is commonly used in the food industry to produce products like margarine and shortening.

Explanation of Options:

1. Saponification: This is the process of producing soap by reacting fats or oils with a strong base, such as sodium hydroxide. It results in glycerol and soap (salts of fatty acids). Saponification is not used to convert oils into fats; instead, it breaks down fats and oils into soap and glycerol.
2. Esterification: This chemical reaction forms an ester by reacting an alcohol with an acid. In the context of fats and oils, esterification can produce triglycerides from glycerol and fatty acids. However, it is not the process used to convert oils into solid fats.
3. Catalytic Hydrogenation: This term refers to hydrogenation that specifically uses a catalyst to facilitate the addition of hydrogen to unsaturated bonds. In industrial applications, hydrogenation typically employs a catalyst, making “catalytic hydrogenation” a more precise term for the process. However, in the context of the given options, “hydrogenation” is the broader and more commonly used term to describe the conversion of oils into fats.
4. Hydrogenation: This is the correct process for converting liquid vegetable oils into solid or semi-solid fats by adding hydrogen to unsaturated fatty acids, effectively saturating them. This process increases the melting point of the oil, resulting in a fat that is solid at room temperature.

Therefore, the correct answer is Hydrogenation.

Get your fully solved book here                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  The process of converting edible oils into fats is known as hydrogenation. This chemical reaction involves adding hydrogen to the double bonds of unsaturated fatty acids present in vegetable oils, transforming them into saturated fats, which are solid or semi-solid at room temperature. This process is commonly used in the food industry to produce products like margarine and shortening.

Explanation of Options:

1. Saponification: This is the process of producing soap by reacting fats or oils with a strong base, such as sodium hydroxide. It results in glycerol and soap (salts of fatty acids). Saponification is not used to convert oils into fats; instead, it breaks down fats and oils into soap and glycerol.
2. Esterification: This chemical reaction forms an ester by reacting an alcohol with an acid. In the context of fats and oils, esterification can produce triglycerides from glycerol and fatty acids. However, it is not the process used to convert oils into solid fats.
3. Catalytic Hydrogenation: This term refers to hydrogenation that specifically uses a catalyst to facilitate the addition of hydrogen to unsaturated bonds. In industrial applications, hydrogenation typically employs a catalyst, making “catalytic hydrogenation” a more precise term for the process. However, in the context of the given options, “hydrogenation” is the broader and more commonly used term to describe the conversion of oils into fats.
4. Hydrogenation: This is the correct process for converting liquid vegetable oils into solid or semi-solid fats by adding hydrogen to unsaturated fatty acids, effectively saturating them. This process increases the melting point of the oil, resulting in a fat that is solid at room temperature.

Therefore, the correct answer is Hydrogenation.

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