Evaluation of Fatty Acid Indices and Fatty Acid Content Including Trans Fat of Different Fried Food Types Using Gas-Liquid Chromatography Technique

Abstract

| Nowadays, fried foods gaining a worldwide popularity although deep-frying of foods leads to many adverse changes in the food constituents and fatty acid profile. These changes make fried foods more harmful to human health upon consumption especially when frying oils are used for several cycles. In this study, fatty acid profile status of the most popular fried foods sold in street restaurants and shops was assessed using gas liquid chromatography (GLC). The examined fried food types included variable items as chicken wings, nuggets, broasted chicken, fish, shrimp, octopus, French fries, mashed potato, falafel, eggplant and onion rings. Results revealed a high saturation as well as high trans fatty acids content among the examined samples which reached to 49.55% and 5.3%, respectively. Regarding fatty acid indices, nearly all samples failed to meet the international recommended guidelines of polyunsaturated/saturated "P/S" (samples had P/S ratio from 0.16 to 0.57) and Omega-6/Omega-3 "n-6/ n-3" (ratio ranged from 22.14 up to 95.28). Local legislations should set clear limits regarding saturated fats and trans fats content in fried foods. Moreover, routine supervision of fried food restaurants and street shops should be adopted to monitor their commitments towards those legislations.

Fatty Acid Composition of Selected Street Foods Commonly Available in Malaysia

“…Fats in food exist in varying proportions of saturated fatty acids (SFAs), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and trans fatty acids (TFAs) [ 4 ]. Several studies from other countries (Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa) found the presence of TFAs [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ] and high amounts of SFAs [ 6 , 7 , 8 ] in their local street food.…”

“…The presence of TFAs and SFAs may be influenced by the use of TFAs- or SFAs-rich ingredients, such as butter [ 7 ] and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils [ 9 , 12 ], and the preparation methods used, such as deep-frying [ 9 , 11 , 13 ]. Practices related to the frying process, such as the reuse of frying oil [ 6 ], the frying temperature [ 14 ], and the duration of frying using different types of oils [ 10 , 13 , 15 , 16 , 17 ], also affect the levels of SFAs and TFAs in foods.…”

“…Documentation of FA composition in Malaysian street foods is still lacking compared to the well-documented FA composition in street foods from other countries [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. Previous studies in Malaysia have measured the FA composition in homemade meals [ 26 ] and the presence of TFAs in foods ranging from bakery products, snacks, breakfast cereals, dairy products, fast foods, Malaysian fast foods [ 27 ] to supermarket foods [ 28 ], but did not assess the FAs levels in street foods.…”

Fatty Acid and Sterol Profiles of Commonly Available Street Foods in Sri Lanka: Comparison to Other Countries in the Asian Region

“…The polyene index (PUFA to SFA ratio) of all food samples (1.72 to 3.78), linoleic acid contents (2.7-6.3%), and linoleic to palmitic fatty acid ratios (2.64 to 5.89, where 71% samples contained <4.37) were not complied with the recommended levels (>4%, <2%, and >4.37%, respectively). The fried foods from Egypt (chicken wings, nuggets, broasted chicken, fish, shrimp, octopus, french fries, mashed potato, falafel, eggplant, and onion rings) have been analysed in a recent study [68]. The study presented high TFA contents in fish, French fries, falafel, and eggplant (4.21-5.34% fatty acids).…”