Fatty acid compositions of Turkish shortenings with emphasis on trans fatty acids

Abstract

The fatty acid (FA) composition and the trans FA (TEA) content of Turkish shortenings were determined by capillary gas-liquid chromatography. The saturated FA, monounsaturated FA and polyunsaturated FA contents were within the ranges of 27.4 - 48.8, 33.8 - 56.7 and 8.4 - 35.3% of total FA, respectively. The total TFA ranged front 2.7 to 23.9% of total FA. The total trans 08:1 acid was the major TFA in all the analyzed brands, representing 82.3 - 94.5% of total TFA. The total trans C18:2 acid varied from 0.2 to 2.9% of total FA, while the total trans C18:3 acid was only found at very low levels (0.1% of total FA) in the samples of two brands. It is clear from the results that partially hydrogenated vegetable oils with high TFA content are still the major raw materials used in the production of Turkish shortenings.