Impact of Oil used by the Frying Industry on Population Fat Intake

Abstract

Chronic multifactorial diet related diseases are the major causes of death and illness worldwide. The amount and composition of fat in the diet is an important determinant of the pathobiology of many of these conditions. In the current review the associations between dietary fat and disease risk will be considered. Mean population fat intakes will be compared with dietary recommendations aimed at reducing the population burden of disease and the main sources of fat in the adult and childhood diet will be given. An assessment will be made of the principal vegetable oil sources used in the manufacture of processed foods, in particular fried foods, with particular reference to the rheological and nutritional justification for their use. The impact of the more widespread use of alternative oil sources with improved fatty acid profiles, on the fat composition of fried foods and the overall diet will be presented, demonstrating that such apparently focussed approaches could potentially result in a significant impact on population fat intake and potentially overall chronic disease burden.

Feasibility of recommending certain replacement or alternative fats

“…Some oils are produced from seeds with novel fatty acid composition through traditional plant-breeding techniques or through genetic modification. These oils are often referred to as traitenhanced or novel oils, containing negligible proportions of TFAs, higher proportions of cis-monounsaturated and lower proportions of cis-polyunsaturated fatty acid compositions when compared with the PHVOs they are intended to replace (Tarrago-Trani et al, 2006;Eckel et al, 2007;Minihane and Harland, 2007). Evidence about the sensory and physical properties of these trait-enhanced oils is not extensive in the peerreviewed scientific literature, likely, the consequence of the proprietary nature of most oils.…”

“…For example, in the latest United Kingdom National Diet and Nutrition Survey for children (2000) and adults (2003), the majority of dietary TFAs, produced as a result of hydrogenation, were derived from the food groups 'fat spreads' and 'potatoes and savoury snacks'. The 'fat spreads' group included spreading fats, chocolate, biscuits, buns, cakes and pastries, while the 'potatoes and savoury snacks' included fried savoury snacks, such as crisps and popcorn (Minihane and Harland, 2007). Collectively these two food groups contributed 30 and 22% of TFAs to children's and adult's diets, respectively.…”

“…The fatty acid composition of a range of vegetable-based oils and animal fats is shown in Table 5; data were compiled from a number of sources (Bayard and Wolff, 1996;Lake et al, 1996;Liu et al, 2002;Crop and Food Research, 2004; United States Department of Agriculture, 2005;Minihane and Harland, 2007;Ratnayake et al, 2007). Partially hydrogenated sunflower and soybean oils have decreased proportions of linoleic acid and increased proportions of oleic acid and TFA in comparison with their parent oils; the saturated fat content is largely unchanged.…”

“…Partially hydrogenated vegetable oils have physical and sensory properties, such as increased oxidative stability, that contribute to longer product shelf-life, improved mouth-feel, plasticity and flavour through characteristics such as crispness or creaminess (Jang et al, 2005;Tarrago-Trani et al, 2006;Minihane and Harland, 2007). The ubiquitous presence of PHVOs throughout the global food supply in bakery products (for example, cakes, biscuits, bread, crackers, pies, and so on), deep-fried fast foods, snack foods, confectionery products and table spreads attests to their commercial value and convenience.…”

Food combinations for cholesterol lowering

“…Where MUFA were included in the diet this was achieved by the addition of high-oleic sunflower-seed oil to the diet. Both high-oleic sunflower-seed and rapeseed are attractive salad oils that have the added advantage of being stable during many food processes and, as such, are suitable alternatives to fats high in TFA and SFA for a variety of food manufacturing purposes (93) .…”