Study on Trans Fat Content of Selected Foods Commercially Available in Colombo District of Sri Lanka

The relationship between the dietary consumption of unsaturated fatty acids with trans configuration and increased risk of coronary heart diseases, cancer, diabetes mellitus among others is well established. The sources of intake of trans fats mainly include foods produced using partially hydrogenated oils, fried snack s and baked goods. Fried and baked foods available at eateries, restaurants and sold by roadside vendors are very popular among Sri Lankans. Moreover, home-made fried foods are regularly consumed in the country. Furthermore, reuse of frying oils also contributes to generation of trans fats. Therefore, fried foods are suspected to contain high quantities of trans fat. The present study was designed to quantify the trans fat level of selected processed foods collected from Colombo district. The total fat (saturated fatty acids (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and unsaturated fatty acids (UFA)) and trans fatty acid (TFA) contents of food samples were analyzed using GLC. Trans fat content ranged from 0.00 – 1.50 g/100 g in food samples tested. The highest trans fat content was observed in chilli paste samples.  Fried rice, collected from Colombo district also contained 0.91 g/100 g of food. It was revealed that the other food items contain <1g / 100 g of trans fatty acid.