Comparison of branded and non-branded food samples widely consumed in north India with reference to Trans fatty acid content

Trans fatty acids (TFA) are the geometrical isomers of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids that affect the functional and physicochemical properties of these fatty acids, which in turn affect their metabolism in humans. Since the database available for trans fatty acids in food from India is scarce, the research report generates data about trans fatty acid content in selected foods popular in north India. In this report, various food samples like cookies, chocolates, biscuits, pizza, fries, indigenous snacks like samosa, pakora and indigenous sweets like jalebi, gulab jamun, and laddoo were analyzed for the Trans Fatty Acid (TFA) content by gas chromatography. A large variation was found in trans fatty acid content among these food samples. The results also showed that only 4.5% of the samples were found to contain TFA less than 0.5% while approximately 8% of samples having more than 5% TFA (1 branded and 6 non-branded samples). Also, a large variation was found in the trans fatty acid content of branded and non-branded food samples with the mean value of TFA in branded and non-branded food groups as 1.781 and 6.125 respectively and the t-value of 0.852 between the two groups. When regulations are emphasizing on labelling the TFA content on the product, there are arrays of unlabelled products which are not governed under any regulations. Hence there is a need for strong food regulations to bring levels of trans fats in processed foods to negligible levels.