How did Wilhelm Normann contribute to the development of trans fats?

In 1901, German chemist Wilhelm Normann conducted experiments with hydrogenation catalysts and successfully induced the hydrogenation of liquid fat to produce a semisolid fat. This process, for which he received a patent in 1903, allowed food manufacturers to convert liquid vegetable oils into more stable, solid fats.1

By adding hydrogen to unsaturated fatty acids, Normann’s method created a product that was less susceptible to rancidity and had a significantly longer shelf life. This innovation was eagerly adopted by the food industry, leading to the development of products such as margarine and shortening, including the 1911 introduction of Crisco. While this industrial process effectively stabilized fats, it also resulted in the formation of trans fat, which occurs when the molecular configuration of unsaturated fatty acids shifts from a cis to a trans orientation.123