Fatty acid composition of commercially available Iranian edible oils

BACKGROUND: Trans-fatty acids (TFAs), unsaturated fats with at least one double bond in the Trans configuration, are industrially formed in large quantities when vegetable oils are partially hydrogenated. This study was undertaken to quantify the amounts of the common fatty acids in several commercial oils marketing in Iran. METHODS: The most consumed commercially available brands of vegetable oils were randomly selected from products available in supermarkets. A 10g sample was drawn from each mixed sample and prepared for fatty acid analysis by gas chromatography (GC). RESULTS: Palmitic acid (C16:0) and stearic acid (C18:0) jointly constituted 21% of total fatty acids in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (PHVOs). More than one third of total fatty acids in Iranian PHVOs were Trans fats. TFAs constituted almost 1% and 3% of total fatty acids in Iranian cooking and frying oils. This study showed higher contents of TFAs in Iranian commercially available hydrogenated vegetable oils. Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used for all statistical analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Although several studies reported multiple adverse effects of TFAs on human health, limited information is available about total fatty acid composition, particularly TFAs, in Iranian edible oils. Our findings indicated higher content of TFAs in Iranian commercially available PHVOs.