Nutritional evaluation of inter‐esterified fats

Abstract

Studies with inter‐esterified fats prepared to maintain a high level of linoleic acid content have been undertaken in several series of experiments with rats. These fats are as digestible as the liquid nonhydrogenated oils and the biological value of the linoleic acid is not impaired by the inter‐esterification. Investigations involving growth, reproduction and lactation, longevity, tissue cholesterol levels and histological tissue examination have revealed that these inter‐esterified fats are utilized by the animal similarly to cottonseed oil. No tissue pathology or interferences with any of the nutritional indices are observed. When the inter‐esterified fats are included in atherogenic diets, the atheroselerotic lesions which develop in the coronary arteries and aorta of the animals are similar to, but less marked than, those found when animals are fed cholesterol‐containing diets with butter oil or conventional margarine oil of the all‐hydrogenated type. It is concluded that these inter‐esterified fats are at least nutritionally equal to other similar edible fats of equivalent essential fatty acid content.

The biological activity of natural source tocopherols in chickens fed fresh or oxidized fat rich in linoleic acid

“…It occurred about 3 weeks of age in all experiments. Dam (1962) showed that linoleic acid was the triggering PUFA of encephalomalacia in vitamin E deficient chickens and recently Budowski et al (1987) proposed the age of three weeks as the vulnerable period of developing encephalomalacia in the chicken. The results demonstrate a low requirement of vitamin E to protect against encephalomalacia i.e.…”

“…The different tocopherol isomers of which also ß-tocopherol possess 2 methyl groups, but 5-tocopherol only one methyl group in the chroman ring, have an antioxidative activity of the following order: y-, 5-, ß-and a-tocopherol (Poncracz, 1984;. Also, it has been disputed if the haemolysis test should be used as a general indicator of the biological activity of the different tocopherol isomers (Alfin-Slater et al, 1969a;1969b;Jager, 1969). When using the serum activity of the enzymes creatine kinase and glutamate-oxaloacetate-transaminase as response parameters, Landvogt and Elmadfa (1986) showed that y-tocopherol showed an activity of 90% of that of a-tocopherol.…”

Relative nutritional value of various dietary fats and oils

“…Nutritional studies with interesterified fats and oils, prepared to maintain a high level of linoleic acid, have been made with rats. Results have shown that these fats and oils are, at least nutritionally, equal to other edible fat substances with equivalent contents of essential fatty acids (52).…”

“…Natural polyunsaturated fatty acids with biological activity have cis-configuration and, during the hydrogenation process i variable amounts of trans-isomer are produced. So, when vegetable oils rich in linoleic acid are hydrogenated, unquestionably, a loss of essential fatty acids is produced, and a decreasing of the original biological value of the product (51,52).…”