Perfil nutricional de alimentos com alegação de zero gordura trans

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the composition of fatty acids in some foods available in the Brazilian market in which there was a claimed reduction in the amount of trans fatty acids. Also evaluate whether these foods meet recommended amounts for saturated fat consumption, after reduction of trans fat amounts. METHODS: Industrialized food (creamy margarine A and B, plant sterol margarine, stuffed sweet biscuit, salty biscuit without stuffing, French fried potatoes and a burger lunch from a multinational chain of "fast food" all with the allegation of 0% trans fat content were purchased in commercial points and analyzed by gas chromatography. RESULTS: Despite the reduction in trans fatty acid amounts, analyzed foods contained large concentrations of saturated fats mainly palmitic acid. Moreover, some of the foods studied showed a n-6/n-3 ratio outside the recommended for atherosclerosis prevention. CONCLUSION: The unrestricted consumption of such foods has strong deleterious health potential. The absence of trans fatty acid label should be viewed with caution and does not mean a release for unrestricted consumption of such foods.