The Trans-Fat Dilemma : Health VS Functionalities
by Kalyana Sundram & Yusof Basiron

Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC), 2nd Floor Wisma Sawit, Lot 6, SS6 Jalan Perbandaran, 47301 Kelana Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
E-mail: kalyana@mpoc.org.my, yusof@mpoc.org.my

Do Fat Reformulation Efforts Serve Both Functionality and Health?

As indicated earlier, reformulated TFA fats must be proven to be healthier (primarily less cholesterol-raising) than the TFA-rich fats they are designed to replace. Such replacement would preferentially entail the use of natural fats, which are also rich in SFA. The answer may lie in the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Step-1 diet which advocates equal balancing of SFA, MUFA and PUFA in a 30% fat energy diet. This primarily pursues the goal of reducing overall fat consumption, which in turn is postulated to trigger reductions in plasma lipid-lipoprotein associated CHD risk factors. None of the current commercial oils and fats on their own are able to meet this specified fatty acid distribution. Sundram et al. [13]designed an AHA oil blend incorporating soyabean, Canola and palm oils which resulted in a 1:1:1 ratio of the SFA, MUFA and PUFA while being TFA-free. This was tested in healthy normocholesterolaemic volunteers who were fed carefully designed whole food diets and compared against Canola oil (18:1-rich), palm olein (16:0-rich) or the AHA Step-1 diet, all contributing approximately 31% fat energy and < 200mgdietary cholesterol/day. Plasma TC and LDL-C were not significantly affected by these three diets despite manipulations of the key dietary fatty acids. The high 18:1 Canola and high 16:0 palm olein resulted in almost identical plasma and lipoprotein cholesterol levels.  Only HDL-C after the AHA diet was significantly raised compared to the other two diets. The findings of the above study have now become the subject of a patent [14] advocating a balanced fatty acid ratio incorporating palm oil, for maintaining an improved LDL/HDL-cholesterol ratio that could be cardio-protective. The patent findings have been commercialized as a range of TFA-free healthful margarine and solid fats and serve as a primary example how the food industry can provide functionality and health in a TFA-free environment.

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