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.
Highlights
There are growing concerns for potential health effects of trans fatty acid (TFA) those that are derived from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (PHVO)
Highest amount of TFA content was found in Mathari (7.33 g/100g, range 4.88 g/100g to 13.56/100g) and the level of TFA in the oil used for frying Mathari was 6 g/100g whereas lowest TFA was observed in samosa 0.25 g/100g (0.21 g/100g - 3.65 g/100g) and their levels in oil ranged from 1.88 g/100g to 9.12 g/100g
Unlike the previously reported studies where the level of trans fatty acids content of foods was derived as secondary data from the oil used, we have analyzed and documented the actual total TFA levels in some snacks widely consumed by the population
Summary
There are growing concerns for potential health effects of trans fatty acid (TFA) those that are derived from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (PHVO). PHVO offers an attractive option for food industry because of their long shelf life, their stability during deepfrying and their semisolidity, which enhances the palatability of baked goods and sweets [1]. In India, fast foods/street foods are becoming part of our lifestyle and 400,000 tonnes of snacks are consumed every year. The Indian National Sample Survey Organization, India shows that consumption of beverages, biscuits, processed foods, salted snacks, prepared sweets and other purchased foods ranged from 100 - 427 gm/ capita/day. Major dietary sources of TFA in India are deep fried fast foods such as samosas, baked products, packed snack foods, margarines and crackers [4,5]. The deep fried foods, unlike packaged snacks which display their nutri-
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