Evaluation of the levels of trans fatty acids in foods marketed in Sao Paulo / Avaliação dos teores de ácidos graxos em alimentos comercializados na cidade de São Paulo

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2010

RESUMO

Trans fatty acids (FA) were extensively used by food industry. However, the consumption of this type of FA has been associated with health problems, especially with increased risk for heart diseases. Since July, 2006, Brazilian regulation has imposed that industrialized food labels must express trans fat content. This apparently contributed to several products known for having large amounts of trans fat which now declare does not contain trans fat. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine the supply of food products that claim to be trans fat-free, checking possible variations according to the sales spots, and comparing their composition and price to those of other food products in order to verify if such claims are reliable and comply with the law. The supply of the following products was evaluated supermarkets of Sao Paulo: sweet biscuit, sandwich biscuit, wafer, cream cracker and tapioca flour biscuit. The comparison between the products was based on the information on the labels. The quantification of trans FA in some of these foods was carried by gas chromatography and the results were compared with the information from labels. Were found 498 different products in the six supermarkets visited and 68.9 per cent of them were products that declare the absence of trans FA. There were no differences in terms of supply among regions of the city. However, the products that claim to be trans fat-free had a higher price than the others in all categories (p <0.001). No increase in the amount of saturated fat was found. In the nine products analyzed by gas chromatography the average amount of trans fat per serving was 0.18 (±0.29). Two of the products tested should not claim to be trans fat-free because they contained more than 0.2 g per serving, taking into account the acceptable variation of ±20 per cent. The results suggest that the mandatory declaration of trans fat content on labels led to a wide and well distributed supply of products that declare do not contain this kind of fat. However, these products are less accessible because they are more expensive. Furthermore, available information on the labels is not always reliable, which indicates the need to supervise such information

ASSUNTO(S)

industrialized food Ácidos graxos trans alimentos industrializados trans fatty acids rotulagem nutricional food label

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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