Trans fatty acid content in foods marketed in the community of Madrid(Spain)

Abstract

As a consequence of the scientific evidence which show that the high consumption of trans fatty acids is a risk factor of certain illnesses, sanitary authorities recommend less than 1% intake of trans fatty acids of the total energy intake. Moreover, the European Commission must present, by December 2014, a report about the presence of trans fatty acids in the aliments as well as in the diet of the European Union population. Thus, this study can provide useful information to reach this objective. To determine trans fatty acid presence in some types of foods in the Community of Madrid. 170 samples of different foods commonly consumed by children and adolescents were selected and analized. All foods had been purchased in big shopping centers in the Community of Madrid during february of 2010. Results are shown as the percentage of each fatty acid compared to the total amount of fat in the aliment. Only 33 products (19.4%) showed the presence of trans fatty acids over the method detection limit (≥ 0.1g per 100g). The highest levels were found in dairy products, with an average content of 0,4%. DISCUSIÓN/CONCLUSIONES: The trans fatty acid content of the analyzed foods can be considered low, compared with the amount reported by other authors in food products marketed in Spain and other countries in the past few years. Further studies should be undertaken to control nutrition security and diet quality of fat intake in the Spanish population, particularly among children and adolescents.