Question

Partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils in the presence of Ni catalyst at 200°C gives:

• A. Butter
• B. Vanaspati ghee
• C. Cheese
• D. Margarine

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

The correct option is (D): Margarine.

Answer 2

Partial catalytic hydrogenation converts some of the unsaturated (cis) double bonds of liquid vegetable oils into saturated or trans bonds, raising the melting point enough to turn a liquid oil into a semi-solid fat. Each option can be checked against how it is actually manufactured:

1. Butter: Butter is a natural dairy product churned from cream; it is not manufactured by chemically hydrogenating vegetable oil.
2. Vanaspati ghee: Vanaspati is also produced by hydrogenating vegetable oil, but it is typically hydrogenated more extensively and blended with different additives to mimic the texture of ghee, rather than being the specific spreadable table-fat product obtained under the partial hydrogenation conditions described.
3. Cheese: Cheese is made by curdling and fermenting milk; it has no relationship to the hydrogenation of vegetable oils.
4. Margarine: Margarine is manufactured precisely by partially hydrogenating vegetable oils in the presence of a nickel catalyst at an elevated temperature, converting enough of the liquid oil's double bonds to give it a spreadable, semi-solid, butter-like consistency while leaving some unsaturation intact.

The process described, partial (not complete) hydrogenation with nickel catalyst at 200°C to obtain a spreadable semi-solid fat, corresponds to how margarine is industrially produced.

Therefore, the correct answer is Margarine.