Assessment of Trans Fatty Acid Content in Widely Consumed Snacks by Gas Chromatography in a Developing Country

Smita Karn, Ransi Ann Abraham, Lakshmy Ramakrishnan

Department of Cardiac Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
Department of Cardiac Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India..

DOI: 10.4236/fns.2013.412164                

Abstract

Trans fatty acids have adverse effects on health, so knowledge of their contents in foods would enable people to make informed food choices. TFA levels when not available in food composition tables make it difficult to estimate dietary intake. With the aim to analyze and identify the actual amount of trans fatty acid present in selected Indian fast food items, triplicate samples of six commonly consumed snacks as well as the oil used for preparing the same were collected from three different places. The separation of fatty acid was done using gas chromatography. Trans fatty acid isomers of oleic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid were identified in all food items. The predominant trans fatty acid present in all the food items was elaidic acid (18:1t9). The total trans fatty acids in different food items ranged from almost negligible to as high as 14.58 g/100g food. Different amount of TFA was found in same food category sourced from different outlets which is a challenge in making regulations aimed at TFA reduction so as to decrease health risk.

Keywords

Trans Fatty Acid; Gas Chromatography; Snack; Health Risk

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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