TransFattyAcids

CourseNo.:FDSC538

CourseName:FoodScienceinPerspective

Professor:LawrenceGoodridge

StudentName:YutongLi

StudentID:260665940

Introduction

PaulSabatiercreatedthebasicfatsoftodaymargarinebyhydrogenation

reactions.Although,hisfocuswasonlyonhydrogenationofvapors,hewasthe

pioneerofintransfats.[1]WilhelmNormallfoundthatthehydrogenationprocess

wasabletomaketheliquidoilstosolidoilsandheappliedthistechniquefropatent

in1902.Asthephysicalpropertywaschanged,thestabilityhasbeenimproved

dramaticallyandalongwithalotofchemicalpropertieschanged.In1909,the

JosephCrasfield&SonsLtdhasbroadenedproductionscaleofhydrogenatedfats

significantly.Sincethen,hydrogenatedfatsandoilshaveenteredmarketand

becomeanimportantpartofdailydiet.[2]

Thehardnessoftheprocessedfatscanbecontrolledbythedegreeof

hydrogenationprocess,thelowcost,thegreatstabilityandantioxidativemaking

hydrogenatedoilsandfatshavepowerfulcompetitiveinthemarket.Moreover,

consumersweremorelikelytobuythiskindoffatsin1920s.[2]

Inthe1980s,scientistsgraduallyfoundthatthehydrogenatedoils,whichwas

alsoknownastransfatcouldberelatedtosignificantriskcoronaryheartdisease.[2]

Fromthenon,theresearchesontransfathavenotbeenstopped.“Transfatisa

compellingtopicforClinicalTherapeuticstoexamine,becausealthoughitdirectly

impactshumanhealth,italsocuesupcontroversyinmultipledisciplines,including

economicsandpolitics,”saidJohnG.Ryan,Dr.PH.,TopicEditorforEndocrinology

andDiabetes,andguesteditorforthismulti-disciplinaryinvestigationoftransfat.[3]

Transfatisakindofimportantingredientforaremarkablenumberoffoods,

especiallytheprocessedones.Becauseanincreasingattentionwaspaidonthe

healthconcernoftransfats,andtheensuredcauseofcoronaryheartdiseaserelated

totheconsumptionoftransfattyacids,governmentsandauthoritiesfromallover

theworldbegantosetlegislationsandregulationsfortransfats.Awidenumberof

countriesrequiredallthenutritionlabelsonprocessedfoodsincludingthe

informationontransfatcontentssince2006.Fromthenon,theconsumptionof

transfatsreduceddramaticallytoaround22%oforiginalconsumption,butit

remainsathreattopublichealth.In2013,FDAannouncedthatpartially

hydrogenatedoilswerenotgenerallyrecognizedassafeanymoreandamore

thoroughregulationwasputintopractice.InJune16,2015,FDAannouncedthat

“Basedonathoroughreviewofthescientificevidence,theU.S.FoodandDrug

Administrationtodayfinalizeditsdeterminationthatpartiallyhydrogenatedoils,the

primarydietarysourceofartificialtransfatinprocessedfoods,arenot‘generally

recognizedassafe’orGRASforuseinhumanfood.Foodmanufacturerswillhave

threeyearstoremovePHOsfromproducts”.Theyclaimedthatthisactionwould

decreasethemaincommitmenttothehearthealthofAmericansandwouldsavea

largenumberofpeoplediedofheartattackseveryyear.[4]

Majorityregardedthetransfatsbanregulationasanefficientmethodto

improvepublichealth,whereassomepeopleinsistedtheyhadrightstochoosefood

astheycaneatwhatevertheywantedtoandthisactionencroachestheirfreedom

andtheconsumptionoftransfatsonlyaccountingforasmallpartoftotalenergy

intakeofdiet.Moreover,thisregulationallowedgovernmenttooverinterferetoo

muchwithcitizens’rightsoffoodselection.

Thisdiscussionpaperwilltalkaboutthetransfatsandtransfattyacids

includingthedefinition,consumptionstatus,legalstatus,andIwillemphasisonthe

healthconcernsasmypointofviewisbackuptransfatsban.

1. DefinitionandStatus

Inwesterncountries,thetransfatshavebeenanimportantingredientina

widerangeofprocessedfoodslikebakeryissues,fryingfoods,etc.formorethana

century.Asmallamountoftransfat(about2-5%oftotalfatcontent)arenaturally

presentinfoods,suchasdairyproducts,somemeat,andanimal-basedfoods.[5]

Somevegetableoilslikesoybeanandfishoilsalsocontainsalittletransfatsasthe

naturaloilscontainsomeundesirablesubstancesandneedtoberefinedtogetridof

themtoimprovethecoloraswellasthesmellandtaste.Duringthisprocessing,the

transfatsaregenerated.[6]

1.1. Definition

Infoods,therearefourtypesoffattyacidconsistoffats,including

monounsaturatedfattyacids,polyunsaturatedfattyacids,saturatedandtransfatty

acids.[6]TheFDAdefinestransfattyacidscontainingatleastonenon-conjugated

doublebondsintransconfiguration.(FDA)Thetransfatsareconsistoffattyacids

includingoneormoretransfattyacidsandglycerins.Itshouldbenotingthatthe

definitiondoesnotincludeconjugatedlinoleicacids.[8]Thetransfatsaregenerated

inhydrogenationprocessing.Increasingthehardnessofliquidfatsandoilssothat

theshelflifeandthestabilityoffoodflavorcanbeincreaseddramatically.Withthe

presentofmetalcatalyst,vegetableoilsarehydrogenatedinvariousdegreeto

reducetheamountofsomefatacidslikelinolenicandlinoleicacidasthe

unsaturatedfattyacidsaremorelikelytocauserancidwithtime.[7]

1.2. ConsumptionStatus

In2006,theconsumptionoftransfattyacidsofpeopleinNorthAmerica

havebeenestimatedtobe3-4gperperson.While,inCanada,theconsumptionhas

declinedfrom8.4gto4.9gbecauseoftheefficientregulationestablishedin2006.

However,theindividualintakevariesdramatically,from1to29gdaily.TheWHO

recommendtheconsumptionoftransfatsshouldnotmorethan1%oftotalenergy

intake.

2. TheSourcesofTransFats

Therearetwomainsourcesoftransfats:oneisfromruminants,theother

oneismadebyhydrogenationprocessing.However,thetransfattyacidsfrom

differentsourcesarenotlikelytoappearthesamebiologicaleffects,asthereare

someevidencesshowingthatdifferentfromtheartificialtransfattyacidwith

harmfuleffectsonhumanhealth,thetransfattyacidsdonothavetheadverse

effectsandevengoodforhealth.[9]

2.1. Naturallyoccurringtransfattyacid

Milkfatandmeatfromruminantanimalslikecows,sheep,goats,etc.area

mainnaturalsourceoftransfattyacidsalongwithbacterialhydrogenationof

unsaturatedfattyaidsintherumen.Thesetransfattyacidsareknownasruminant

transfattyacids,whichaccountforlessthan1%oftransfattyacidsintakeofour

dailydiet.[10]

Therearetwostepsforruminantstogeneratetransfattyacids.Firstly,under

thecatalyzingofbacterialenzymes,thegalactolipids,phospholipidsand

triacylglycerolsbecauseofruminallipolysisareconvertedtofreeacids.Thesecond

stepiscallbiohydeogenation,hydrogenatingthemonounsaturatedand

polyunsaturatedacidswithfreeacidsthatgotinthefirststepandthisisan

extracellular.[8]

2.2. Artificiallytransfattyacid

Exceptthenaturallygeneratedtransfats,thereisanotherwayto

manufacturehydrogenatedfatsandthisisconsideredasthemainsourceofdietary

transfattyacids.Therearethreestepstomanufacturetransfattyacids,which

modifiedthe30-50%ofdoublebondsinnaturalcisconfigurationinunsaturated

fattyacidstothetransconfiguration.[11]

FirststepisWittigolefination.Doublebondiscreatedinthemiddleofa

carbonylcompoundandaphosphomiumylide.Thisisconsideredasthebestwayto

makecis-transfattyacidmixtures.Theintroductionofdoublebondsissupposedto

bethecertainpositionswithaspecificgeometricalconfiguration.

Figure1.Firststep:Ylidessynthesisfromtriphenylphosphineandanalkylhalide.

Secondly,thecis-transisomerization.Inordertogetthetransfats,there

shouldbeanisomerizationreactionaftertheWittigreaction.

Figure2.Unsaturatedfattyacidgeometricalisomers.

Therearetwoconfigurationsoffattyacids,oneiscalledZorcis

configurations,theotheriscalledEortransconfigurations.Inordertoactivatethe

transitionfromonetoanother,alargeamountofenergyisneeded.Moreover,the

twoconfigurationsarestableforheatingbuttheyhavedifferentmeltingpoints,

whichmakethemseparated.

Finalstepisfractionalcrystallizations,whichisapurificationprocessindryor

solventconditions.Theonlyaimofthisstepistoachievehighpurity.Becausethe

transfattyacidsareonlyavailableover90%purity.Therearetwokindsof

fractionationsappliedindifferentaims;oneisthermalfractionationandtheotheris

crystallizationfractionation.Thefirstkindoffractionationistobreakthefattyacids

withlongchainsintomanyshortchainsbecausethelongerthechainlengthis,the

higherthemeltingpointwouldbe.Manufacturerscancontroldifferentmelting

pointsbythisstep.Whilethepurificationwillbeimprovedafterfractional

crystallizations.Theprincipleoffractionalcrystallizationissimilartotheprincipleof

thermalfractionationasalthoughthefattyacidshavethesamelengthofchain,they

havedifferentlevelofunsaturationthatcanalsomakethehydrogenatedoilsand

fatshavedifferentmeltingpoints.[8]

3. Theoriginoftransfattyacids

Themainsourceoftransfattyacidsarefromhydrogenatedvegetableoils.As

thedegreeofhydrogenationcanbecontrolled,theamountoftransfatsinfoodscan

varymarkedly.Alongwithpeoplehaveanincreasinglyhighstandardofthe

appearanceandflavoroffoodproducts,consumersnotlikelytopurchasetheoils

withunpleasantflavorcausedbyphosphatides,freefattyacids,pigments,volatiles

orundesirableappearanceledtobyheavymetals,polychlorinatedbiphenyls,etc.

makingtheoilswithturbidordarkcolor.Themanufacturershavenochoicebutto

figureoutthewaytorefinetheoilsinordertomeetthecostumers’prospection.By

physicalorchemicalprocesses,theaimtoremoveundesirablecompoundscanbe

achieved.Whilethephysicalrequiresarelativelyhighertemperature.[8]

Intherefinedvegetableoils,thecontentoftransfattyacidsisaround3-5%,

whileinthedeeplyhydrogenatedoilslikemargarine,shortening,etc.thecontent

couldbemuchhigher.

Margarineisabsolutelythemostimportantandthemosttypical

hydrogenatedvegetableoils.Thecontentoftransfatsofmargarinesvarieswiththe

hardness.Thecontentoftransfatsinharderonesismorethanthesofterones

becauseofthehardermargarinesneeddeeperhydrogenation.[12]

Anotheroriginoftransfattyacidsisshortening,madefromhydrogenated

vegetableoilsaswell.Therangeoftransfattyacidsinshorteningvariousfrom6%up

to50%.[12]

Foodfryingprocessingalsogeneratesalargeamountoftransfattyacidsas

fryingfoodneedextremelyhightemperatureandiftherefinedvegetableoilsused

intheprocess,thehightemperatureandlongfryingtimewillmakethepartially

hydrogenatedoilstoahigherleveloftransfattycontent.Moreover,asthefrying

processhappensinhightemperature,manufacturersactuallyprefertousethe

hydrogenatedoilsbecausethesekindsofoilshavemoreresistanttoheat.

Allthefoodrelatedtotheseoilsandfatscouldcontainvariouslevelsoftrans

fattyacids.Fastfoods,forinstance,couldbeasourceoftransfattyacidsbecause

thesekindsfoodlikefries,hamburgers,pizzas,pies,chickensetc.cookedathigh

temperatureforquitealongtimetomakesurethesafetyofthefoods.Dissertslike

cookies,cakes,crispsarealsoanoriginoftransfattyacidsasallofthemneed

shorteningsormargarineasavitalpartofmaterials.Also,someprocessedfoodslike

turkey,bacon,etc.containtransfattyacidsaswell.[12]

4. TheHealthConcernsofTransFats

4.1. HealthStatus

IntheUnitedStates,thereare1,700,000newcasesofdiabetesmellitus,

233,600diabetes-relateddeaths,600,000myocardialinfarctionsand451,300deaths

relatedtocoronaryheartdiseasearereportedyearly.Over68%ofadultsinthe

UnitedStatesareoverweightand31.4%areobese.Duringthelasttwentyyears,the

consumptionoftransfatshasrelatedtothesesillnessesandevenregardedasthe

directinduce.[11]

TFAsperformasaneffectsviaregulatingmetabolicandsignalingpathwayin

atleastfourvitalcelltypes,possessingcentralrolesinbothpathogenesesof

diabetesandcardiovascularrisk,sayinghepatocytes,monocytesandmacrophages,

endothelialcellsandadipocytes.Morespecifically,Lipoproteinproductionis

modifiedbytransfattyacidsrelyingonitsabilitiesofchangingthesecretion,lipid

compositionandsizeofapoB100particles,andupregulatingthecellular

accumulationandthesecretionoffreecholesterolandcholesterolesters.In

monocytes,TFAsunregulatedproductionofinflammatorycytokinesTNFandIL-625

andlevelofsolubleTNFreceptor1and2.Endothelialdysfunctionalbiomarkersas

wellasimpairedbrachial-arteryflow-mediatedvasodilationareincreasedbyTFAs.o

theregardswithadipocytes,TFAsmodifyfatty-acidmetabolismbydownregulating

thelevelsofacylation-stimulatingproteins,reducingtriglycerideuptakeand

esterificationofnewlysynthesizedcholesterol,andpromotingproductionoffree

fattyacids.[11]

4.2. Transfattyacidsrelatedtocoronaryheartdisease

Increasingevidencehasshownthattransfattyacidsmaycausemetabolic

dysfunctionandincreasetheriskofobesity,especiallyabdominalobesity,andtype2

diabetesmellitus.[11]Consumptionoftransfattyacidsevenhaveamoresignificant

effectonriskofcoronaryheartdiseasethansaturatedfattyacidsintake,whichhave

arousedalargeamountofattentionallovertheworld.[13]Afterwidely

epidemiologicalevidence,scientistsfoundthattheintakeoftransfattyacidshas

beenassociatedwithavarietyofcardiovascularcomplicationsincluding

atherosclerosis.Coronaryheartdiseasehasbeenapprovedtobeinducedbyan

accumulationofathermanousplaqueinthearteriesthatdeliveroxygenandblood

totheworkingheart.Thedietandlifestylehasbeenregardedasavitalfactorforthe

causeofcoronaryheartdisease.[14]Onaper-caloriebasis,aslongastheintakeof

transfattyacidsincrease1-3%,theriskofcoronaryheartdiseasewillincreaseas

well.[15]

Peoplewithhighcontentintakeoftransfattyacidsaremorelikelytohavea

highratioofLDL(low-densitylipoprotein,whichisthe“bad”cholesterolinblood)

overHDL(high-densitylipoprotein),whichisconsideredasariskfactorofheart

disease.Asaresult,ifthetransfattyacidscanberemovedfromthepeoplediet,

therewillbeefficientimprovementsincoronaryheartdisease.Astudyshowedthat

every2%ofincreaseinenergyintakefromtransfatswillleadtoa23%increasedrisk

ofcardiovasculardisease.[14]Alotofepidemiologicalevidenceshaveshownthatthe

consumptionoftransfattyacidsrelatedtocoronaryheartdisease,buttheevidence

forassociationsbetweentransfattyacidsandotherhealthconcerns,and

mechanismswhichmightunderliesuchassociationshavenotbeenfullyelucidated.

[16]

4.3. Transfattyacidsrelatedtometabolicrisk

Therelationbetweenthewomenconsumingconstanthighleveloftrans

fattyacidsandtherisklevelofcardiovasculardiseaseswasthattherelativeriskis

1.33(95%CI1.07-1.66).[17]Thisisreallydangerousespeciallyforthepregnant

womenasthetransfattycanpasstothebabiesdirectly,whichcouldharmtothem.

Astudyconductedonratadipocytes,researchersincubateratadipocytesin

purified18:1transfatsisomersfortwohoursandtheresultindicatedthatcompared

withcis18:1,n-9thenumberofglucoseconvertedtocelllipidandinactivatedthe

oxidationofglucosetocarbondioxide.Aresearchwasconductedonrats.Separated

ratsintotwogroupsThefirstonewastreatedwithdietwithextremelyhightrans

fattyacids;theotheronegroupofratswereexposedtoadietwithchronicamount

oftransfattyacids.Theresultshowedthatthefirstgroupofratsexperiencedan

upwardtendencyofglucose-stimulatedinsulinsecretionforallfattyacids.

Moreover,aslongastherewasa4%increaseoftransfattyacids,therewasa7.6

timersincreaseofthelevelofglucose-stimulatedinsulinsecretionthancis16:1in

theperfusedpancreasofrats.[16]

Anotherexperimenthasbeensetonbothhumanandanimalsaboutthe

influenceoftransfattyacidsonthemarkersofinsulinresistance.Theresultsgot

fromhumanincludingoverweightindividualsorpatientswithdiabetesmellitus

showedthattheytendedtobeaffectedbyanunderlyingpredispositiontoinsulin

resistance.Thetransfattyacidsdietswerelikelytohaveaconstantandadverse

effectondiabeticsintheinsulinsensitivityBecausetheinsulinlevelincreaseinboth

fastingandpostprandialblood,buttheglucoselevelhasnotdecreased.The

experimentsonanimalsgenerallyhadanevenlongerduration.Itindicatedthatthe

consumptionoftransfattyacidshasnegativeinfluenceonmakersofinsulin

resistance,includingincreasedlevelsoftriglycerides,postprandialglucoseand

decreasedglucoseuptakeinskeletalmuscleandcardiacmuscle.[18]Thisexperiment

suggestedthatthehighconsumptionoftransfattyacidsislikelytoincreasetherisk

oftype2diabetesmellitus,buttheexactassociationwithincidentdiabetesmellitus

wasnotclear.

4.4. Theinfluenceoftheintakeoftransfattyacidspregnantonwomen

Itisknownthatalmostallofthetransfattyacidsintakesarefromdiet,which

influenceourownhealthalot,andevencaneffectnewbornbabies’healthbecause

transfattyacidscanpasstothebabiesthroughplacentaandalsoappearinbreast

milkwiththemothers’intakeoftransfattyacids.[18]Although,thetransfattyacids

forminginmothers’milknaturallyaregoodforhealthbecauseitcaninfluencegene

expressioninvarioustissues,boneformation,theimmunesystemandevenonlipid

andfattyacidsmetabolism.However,thetransfattyacidsfrompartially

hydrogenatedoilswoulddefinitelybeharmfulforfetalandchildhooddevelopment,

essentialfattyacidsmetabolism,andincreasingoxidativestressaswell.[19]

Thereisastudyonrelationbetweenthecompositionofthefattyacidsas

wellasthetransfattyacidsinbreastmilkoftheTurkishwomenwhowereonly

breastfeedingtheirbabies.Thisstudyselected50Turkishhealthywomentohadthe

dietasplanstrictlyandtheninspectedtheallkindsoffattyacidinmilk.Thetrans

fattyacidswerefromthreesources,including37%oftotaltransfattyacidsfrom

margarines-butter,29.6%fromconfectionery,andothersfrombakeryproducts.This

researchwasprettymeaningfulandrepresentativeasthisdietplanwaslikethe

exactdietofmostTurkishpeople.Andtheresultofthisstudyshowedthatthe

quantityofthetransfattyacidsintheseTurkishfemalebreastmilkwasalmostequal

totheamountoftheirintakeoftotalamountoftransfattyacids.[20]Inotherwords,

thetransfattyacidsconsumedbymotherswillnotbedigestedormetabolizedby

mothersinotherways.Allthetransfattyacidswouldappearagaininthebreastmilk

andareabletotransporttothebabies,whichcouldprobablyhaveanegativeeffect

onthebabies’health.

4.5. TransfattyacidsrelatedtoAlzheimer’sdisease[21]

Recently,thereisastudyshowedthattherecouldbesomecorrelation

betweenthehighintakeoftransfattyacidstotheriskofAlzheimer’sdisease.The

researchwasdoneonmice.Researchersprovidedmicewiththreedifferentlevelsof

transfattyacidsdiet,including0%transfattyacids/totalfattyacidscalled‘control

group’,16%transfattyacidscalled‘highgroup’and43%transfattyacidsoftotal

fattyacidscalled‘superhighgroup’.Exceptfromthetransfattyacidsintakeofthe

dietwasdifferent,theotherintakeswereexactlythesame.Afteraperiodoftime,

theresultindicatedthatthetransfattyacidstheinfluenceonglucose,lipidprofile,

andplasmahepaticenzymesseemednotthatsignificantlydifferentbetweenthe

‘controlgroup’and‘highgroup’.However,forthe‘superhighgroup’,thechanges

wereremarkably.Moreprecisely,thefattyacidsprofileinbrainof‘superhighgroup’

changeddramatically,thenumberofmonounsaturatedfattyacidsreplacedmost

numberofpolyunsaturatedfattyacids.Moreover,thehightransfattyacidsintake

dietislikelytoinduceDHA,22:6n-3transferredtoDPA,22:5n-6andadecreaseon

insolubletauprotein.Andthechangesinleveloftauprotein, A𝛽#$, A𝛽#%,

phosphorylatedtauproteinwerenotclearlyandtherewasnotanyphenomenon

indicatedtothebrainneuropathlogicalchanged.However,theaccumulationoftrans

fattyacidscanmodifythefattyacidsprofile.

5. Thelegislationrelatingtotransfattyacids

Asmoreevidenceshowedthattheconsumptionoftransfattyacidshave

adverseinfluenceoncitizens’health.

In2007,theWorldHealthOrganizationhasrequestedCodextoconsider

settinglimitsonthecontentofmanufacturedtransfattyacidsandalsocalledforthe

governmentallovertheworldtomakehighlyefficientactionandregulationto

reducetheconsumptionofpartiallyhydrogenatedfatsandoils.Thelabelled

quantitiesoftransfatsincludingtwoparts:formednaturallyandformedduringfood

processing.[8]

5.1. ThelegislationinDenmarkandSwitzerland

Denmarkwastheveryfirstcountrytoenforceapolicyof‘Consumer

protectionthroughalegislativebanonindustriallyproducedtransfattyacidsin

foodsinDenmark’(Stenderetal.,2006).InMarch2003,theDanishauthoritiesfirstly

enforcedaregulationthatthemaximumcontentoftransfattyacidsindesignated

oilsandfatsmustnotmorethan2%,whichwasamandatoryregulation.On1April

2008,SwitzerlandenforcesimilarlawtothatinDenmark.Thelimitationwasthat

thereshouldbelessthan2goftransfattyacidsof100gofvegetableoilsorfatsand

allthemanufacturersneedtoachievethistargetwithinoneyear,whiletherewasno

limitationforthetransfattyacidsoccurrednaturally.[6]

5.2. ThelegislationinEuropeanUnion

In2007,theEuropeanUnionincreasedtheirawarenessofthedangersof

transfattyacids.Theyintroducedamandatorysystemandnecessarymeasuresto

decreasethecontentoftransfattyacidsinallkindsoffood,sayingprocessedand

non-processedones,inanefficientway.However,theregulationwasnotunderthe

EUDirective,sotheyneedtocorrectitagain.In2008,nutritionlabellingincluding

thecontentoftransfattyacidswasruledby‘RegulationoftheEuropeanParliament

andofthecouncilontheprovisionoffoodinformationtoconsumers’.Eventually,

thelawwasenforcedbytheendof2009.[5]

5.3. ThelegislationinNorthAmerica

By1January2006,thereissomethingthatshouldbenotedthattheFDA

enactedanewregulationafterDanishfornutritionlabelingofthefoodtoallowthe

quantityoftransfattyacidslowerthan0.5gperservingtobelabelledas0g.

However,theydidnotallowthelabelinthefoodproductstobepastedanytaglike

“transfatfree”or“lowtransfat”.Thereasonissimple:theywerenotableto

determinea“recommendeddailyvalue”.

InCanada,in2005,thelegislationwasalittlebitdifferentfromUnitedStates,

theHealthCanadarequiredthatfoodlabelsmustlisttheamountoftransfatty,at

thesametime,aslongastheamountlessthan0.2gperserving,itwouldbeallowed

tolabelthetransfattyacidsas0gandclaimtheproductis“freeoftransfat”.The

CanadianFoodandDrugRegulationmakethetransfattyacidasoneofthemost

importantnutritioninformationbytheendof2007.

On7November2013,FDAopens60-daycommentperiodonmeasureto

furtherreducetransfatinprocessedfoodsashydrogenatedoilsarenot“generally

recognizedassafe”foruseinfoodsotheyforcefoodmanufacturerstolistthe

amountoftransfattyacidsclearlyfrom2006.Andafinaldecisionwouldmeanthat

thecontentofthepartiallyhydrogenatedorhydrogenatedoilswouldeventuallybe

replaced.Theyalsoemphasizedtheirresponsibilityagain,whichwastomakesure

thateverythingaddedinthefoodissafe.TheFDAofficialwebsitealsoshowed

somedataanddeclaimedthatthisactionwasprobablytosave7,000deathsfrom

heartdiseaseseveryyear.[22]

InDecember2013,FDAextendcommenttimeonmeasuretofurtherreduce

transfatinprocessedfoodsandthecommentperiodwasprolongedto60days,until

March8,2014.[23]

InJune2015,FDAtakessteptoremoveArtificialtransfatfromprocessed

foods.FDAhassetathree-yearlimitationforallthemanufacturerstostopusing

hydrogenatedoilsandfatspartiallyhydrogenatedoilsandfats(transfats)

completely.Theaimofthelegislationistocutdownthenumberoffatalheart

attacksandthecardiovasculardiseaseaswellsothatimprovethehealthlevelin

UnitedStates.Simultaneously,gettingridofthepotentialtype2diabetesmellitus

threat.However,itdoesnotmeanthetransfattyacidswillextinctinfoodsandwill

neverappear,becausethereisstillanamountoftransfatoccursnaturally,and

duringrefiningprocessthetransfattyacidsgeneratedaswellalthoughtheamount

isnotthatlarge.[24]

6. Thereplacementofhydrogenated

Asmentionedalotinthepaper,therearenumerousadverseinfluenceof

transfatsonhumanhealth.Asaresult,figuringoutsomethingthatisabletoreplace

transfattyacidsandcansatisfiesbothchemicalandtasteneedsforconsumersis

important.However,thereremainsnopropermethodsorsubstancesthatisableto

insteadhydrogenatedoils.Andthetoppriorityofsolvingthisissueistechnology.At

present,alltheeffortshavebeenpaid,therearesomesolutionscanbekindof

efficiencytoreducethepossibleintakeoftransfattyacidsforconsumers.

Thefirstsolutionistoimprovethehydrogenationprocess.Partial

hydrogenationistheoriginalmethodforfoodindustries.Thecontentoftransfatty

acidsinthepartiallyhydrogenatedoilsvariesfrom3%to50%,basedontheextent

ofhydrogenation.However,thelighthydrogenatedoilsarewithlowmeltingpoints,

whiletheoilswithhighcontentoftransfattyacidshavehighermeltingpoints.In

otherwords,reducingthecontentoftransfattyacidsmeansmorelightly

hydrogenationprocess,whichmeansthatthepropertiesofthelowdegreeoilsare

notasgoodasthehigherones.

Secondly,interesterification,whichisanoldtechnique.Itwasrecognizedasa

vitalmethodtoeliminatethetransfattyacidsinthefoodsbecauseitcanchangethe

meltingpointsandcrystallizationcharacteristicswithoutmodifyingthecomposition

offattyacids.Therearetwomethodsofinteresterification:chemical

interesterificationandenzymaticinteresterification.Thetemperatureofchemical

interesterificationismerely80-100 ℃.Becauseoftheselectivityofenzymes,the

enzymaticinteresterificationcanseparateandrebuildfattyacidsasplanwithoutany

mistakes.

Thirdly,changingthefoodformulation.Themainusesofpartially

hydrogenatedfatsareinfrying,margarinesandprocessedfoodslikepizzas,cookies,

etc.Forexample,ifwewanttoeliminatethepercentoftransfattyacidsincookies,

wecouldincreasethecontentofflourandvegetableoilsanddecreasethe

margarines,butthecookieswegetcouldbelesstastyandthemouthfeelcould

worsethantheonesmadeaccordingtooriginalrecipes.But,thisistheeasiestway

toreducethetransfatscontentsinfoods.

Finally,changingthecompositionofoils.Makingfulluseoftheadvantagesof

everykindofoilsandtrytomakeamixtureinordertonarrowthegapofthe

physicalandchemicalpropertieshydrogenatedoilshaveandnaturaloils’.For

example,thereis70%oflinoleicacidinthesunfloweroil.Ifreducethelinoleicacid

partandincreasetheoleicacidpart,the‘modified’sunfloweroilcouldhavegreat

oxidationstabilitywithoutanyhydrogenationprocess.[5]

However,alltheseeffortscouldnotreducetherealcontentoftransfattyacids

inprocessedfoodsorcouldnotreplacethehydrogenatedoils.Therefore,therearea

lotweneedtoworkon,balancetheconsumers’andmanufacturers’needandthe

health.[8]

7. Conclusion

Withtheincreasingattentionpaidtothetransfattyacids,thehealthconcern

hasbeenevaluatedinmanyways.Simultaneously,theregulationsandlegislations

havebeenestablishedduringthisdecade.Majorityofpeoplearebackupforthe

transfattyacidsban,whilealsoalargenumberofpeopleargueforthefreedomas

foodproductscontainingtransfattyacidsdohavenumerousirreplaceable

advantageslikethegreatphysicalandchemicalpropertiesandfoodsmadefromit

hasagoodflavor.Moreover,thetransfatbanenforcedbyFDAarousehugedebates

asthisactioncanabsolutelyimprovepeoplehealthcondition,whileitalsoprovided

achanceforauthoritiestocontroltoomuchoverfoods,whichcouldmakecitizens

havelesschoicesonfood,haveconflictionwithsometraditionsorreligions.[23]

However,thehealthconcernrelatedtotheintakeoftransfattyacidsisreally

dangerous.AsImentionedbefore,aslongasthereisa2%increaseoftotalenergy

intakefromtransfat,theriskofcardiovasculardiseaseswillincrease23%,whichisa

horriblefact.[14]Icallfortransfattyacidsbanbecauseaslongasthislegislationput

intopractice,thepublichealthcouldimprovealot,especiallyforcitizensfrom

westerncountrieslikeUnitedStates,Turkey,etc.becausetheyhaveatremendous

consumption.Thedirectdrawbackofconsumingalotoftransfattyacidsis

cardiovasculardiseases,whichhavebeenverifiedbymanyscientistsfromallover

theworld.Andawiderangeofillnesseslikediabetesmellitus,obesity,etc.canalso

beinducedbytransfattyacids.Mostsignificantly,thereisnothingmoreimportant

thanhealth.Asastudentmajoredinfoodscience,allIlearnedactuallyisabouthow

tomakehealthyandsafefoodproducts,includingtherelatedprocessingandthe

ingredients.Transfattyacidscannotcauseafastordirectdamagetobodyfunction,

whereastheitcanleadtochronicdiseases.Asaresult,itshouldnotbeallowed

addedinfoodproductsanymoreaslongasitisrecovered.

Astheadverseinfluenceoftransfattyacidsisobviousandverified,itis

significantforpeopletoknowhowtoreducetheconsumptionoftransfattyacids.

Forindividuals,theyneedtoreadthenutritionfactslabelbeforepurchasingand

consuming.Theyaresupposedtoselectthe0gtransfatfoodproductsandalsoneed

todoublecheckifthereisanyhydrogenatedoilintheingredientslist.

Simultaneously,makesurethatwhetherthisprocessedfoodcouldcontaintransfats

duringprocessing.Finally,choosingtherelativelyexpensivefoodproductsbecause

theindustriallytransfatsarelowcostwhilethenaturaloilsarekindofhighcost.For

governmentsandauthorities,theyshouldpaymoreattentiontomonitorthe

industriessothattheycanmakesurethatallmanufacturersobeythelegislations.At

thesametime,encouragescientiststofindnewtechniquetomanufacturethe

replacementoftransfatssothattheproblemcanbesolvedfromtheroot.

Summary

Thispaperismainlydiscussedabouttransfattyacidswhichhasbeena

debatedtopicfordecades.Sinceitwasartificiallygeneratedbyhydrogenation

processin1902,ithasexperiencedaprevalenceinthemiddleof20thcentury.

However,scientistfoundthattheamountofintakeoftransfattyacidscouldrelated

totheriskofcoronaryheartdiseasein1980s.[2]Fromthenon,anincreasingnumber

ofstudyandresearcheshasbeenconductedonthepotentialriskofconsumingtrans

fattyacidstopublichealth.Allofthestudiesindicatedthattheconsumptionoftrans

fattyacidscorrelatedtomanyhealthconcerns,includingcoronaryheartdisease,

whichhasbeenproved,metabolismabnormal,[11]andAlzheimer’sdisease.[21]

Increasingnumberofevidenceshowedthattheadverseimpactoftransfatty

acidsonpublichealth,Danishauthoritywastheveryfirsttoasknutritionlabelsin

foodproductsmustshowedtheamountoftransfattyacids,in2006.[6]Andother

countriesfollowedthisregulation.FDAannouncedthatpartiallyhydrogenatedoils

werenotgenerallyrecognizedassafe,in2013.On16June2015,FDAannounced

thatpartiallyhydrogenatedoilswerenotallowedtoaddinfoodproducts.Andthis

transfatsbanhasarousedawiderangeofdebates.[4]Anumberofpeopleinsistthat

theyhaverightstochoosewhichkindoffoodtheywanttoeat.[24]

Inmyopinion,Idosupportthetransfatsbanbecausetheintakeoftrans

fattyacidscanabsolutelyleadtohealthconcernslikecoronaryheartdisease,

metabolicdisorder,insulinresistance,[11]Alzheimer’sdisease[21]andevencan

influencebabiesifpregnantwomenconsumetransfattyacids.[16]Simultaneously,

foodscientistsaresupposedtofindawaytomanufacturethehydrogenatedor

partiallyhydrogenatedoilssubstitutes.

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