Ventura: Eliminating Trans Fatty Acids
The roots of Ventura Foods began in the country's richest growing regions during the early years of the 20th century. The company evolved, built on a tradition of hard work, quality products, and listening to our customers. By specializing in a select group of related products, including edible oils, shortenings, dressings, margarine, sauces, and flavor bases, Ventura Foods has been able to develop efficiencies and economies of scale that provide our customers with products, services, and programs that will enhance and grow their sales.
The Healthy Innovations program was developed to address consumers' healthier eating trends that have resulted in the demand for healthier menu choices. Healthy Innovations comprises a database of balanced, nutritious recipes and products which are sorted and searchable as follows:
Hydrogenation and Trans Fatty Acids
A powerful health message today is that not all dietary fats are the same when it comes to health. This has generated a growing professional and consumer-driven interest in the various types of dietary fats, their effects on health, and their application within various sectors of the food industry. It is well established in the literature that an excess of saturated fats in the diet raise total and LDL (low density lipoprotein cholesterol) and, therefore, increases the risk of coronary heart disease. Eating less saturated fat and emphasizing more unsaturated oils such as mono- or polyunsaturated oils in our daily meals is important for long-term good health and is essential to preventing heart disease among all ages. The following chart summarizes the effects of eating unsaturated fats instead of saturated fats.
The Benefits of Eating Unsaturated Fats in Place of Saturated Fats
Summarized from Eat Drink and Be Healthy, by Walter C. Willet, M.D.
- Lower level of low density lipoprotein (LDL—bad cholesterol) without also lowering the levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL—good cholesterol)
- Prevents the increase in blood triglycerides, another form of fat circulating in the bloodstream that has been linked with heart disease
- Reduces the development of irregular heart beats, a main cause of sudden cardiac death
- Reduces the tendency of blood flow blocking clots to form in arteries
Dietary fats differ in their chemical structures, culinary applications, and their role in health.
| Type of Fat | Main Sources |
|---|---|
| Monounsaturated | Olives, olive oil, peanuts, peanut oil, cashews, almonds, peanut butter, avocados, canola oil |
| Polyunsaturated (Omega-6 and -3) | Corn oil, soy bean oil, safflower oil, fish oils, flaxseed |
| Saturated | Whole milk, cheese, butter, red meat, coconut milk, coconut oil |
| Hydrogenated (Trans) | Most margarines, vegetable shortening, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, many deep-fried chips, fast foods, and many commercial baked goods |
Background Information: Hydrogenated Fats
Definition: Hydrogenation is performed by converting some of the double bonds of unsaturated fatty acids to single bonds by adding more hydrogen in the presence of heat, pressure, and a catalyst. What actually occurs is an increase in the saturation of the fat. Seed oils such as soybean oil are typically used for the hydrogenation process. Once the oils undergo partial hydrogenation they become more solid, shelf stable, and thus better able to resist the oxidation which occurs as a result of high temperature cooking (thermo-oxidative stress). The degree of hydrogenation, that is, the total number of double bonds which are converted, determines the physical and chemical properties of the hydrogenated oil. As a result of hydrogenation, some of the cis double bonds change to the trans configuration. Hence, they are often referred to as trans fatty acids.
Reformulating food products to eliminate hydrogenated oil/trans fats is quickly becoming a top priority for many food companies. The hydrogenation process became popular in the 1960s, when it provided an alternative to frying and baking with saturated fat. Hydrogenated oils extended the shelf life and stability of the food, provided the same desirable characteristics in food without providing dietary cholesterol, and appeared to be the healthier alternative to saturated fat. In the last few years, compelling scientific data proves the negative health effects of hydrogenated/trans fats, especially for coronary heart disease. The literature finds that not only do they exert the same effects of a saturated fat for the development of heart disease, but they may have an even more profound effect. Trans fats raise serum cholesterol, low density lipoproteins, lipoprotein a, and triglycerides while also decreasing the level of high density lipoproteins. In addition, trans fats may also contribute to the development of Syndrome X, a group of risk factors ranging from hypertension and elevated blood lipids to type II diabetes. Trans fats are aggressive in promoting clot formation in blood vessels of the heart, brain, and other parts of the body. As the intake and production of trans fats have increased in the United States, so has the increase in the rate of heart disease. Stronger evidence for the association of trans fats and heart disease comes from the conclusions of the Nurses' Health Study. Women who ate the most trans fats were 50 percent more likely to develop heart disease over a 14-year period than those who ate the least. Women with the lowest intake of trans fats and the highest intake of polyunsaturated fats were 70 percent less likely to develop heart disease when compared with women who ate the most trans fats and the least polyunsaturated fats. It is only within the last few years that the case against trans fats or hydrogenated oils has become so evident among the consumers and food industry. Researchers at Harvard School of Public Health estimate that the replacement of two percent of energy from trans fats with energy from non-hydrogenated, unsaturated fats would decrease risk of coronary heart disease by 53 percent.
Approximately 80 percent of the trans fat in the American diet comes from partially hydrogenated oils used in many fried foods and snack foods. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that Americans consume 2.6 percent of their daily calories as trans fat. To date, there is no daily value for the dietary intake of trans fat. The new 2005 U.S. Dietary Guidelines Committee is recommending that Americans keep their trans fat intake to as low as possible. The National Academies of Sciences Institute of Medicine (NAS/IOM) also recommend eating as little hydrogenated oil as possible.
Harmful Effects of Trans Fats for Cardiovascular Disease
- Raise LDL (low density lipoproteins, bad cholesterol) and lipoprotein (a)
- Elevate levels of triglycerides in the blood
- Lower levels of HDL (high density lipoproteins, good cholesterol)
- Increase blood clotting properties to make blood platelets more likely to clot inside blood vessels, brain, and elsewhere
- Trans fats increase inflammation, a condition which may lead to an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes
Food Industry Perspective
Why has this process been so popular among many food manufacturers? Perhaps, initially, it was attributed to dietary and health concerns of reducing highly saturated tropical oils (coconut and palm oil) as well as other saturated fats typically used for frying in the industry. Unfortunately, this was done with the misconception that hydrogenated oils offered the same protective effects against heart disease as naturally occurring plant oils and were therefore a healthier option. Another reason is that partially hydrogenated vegetable oils can be used in place of butter or lard in baking, and will yield similar desirable baking properties of these fats. Hydrogenation is what gives margarine its creamy consistency and pie crusts their flaky tender textures. The fact that it prolongs the shelf life and stability of many baked goods is also an important factor. In addition, during high temperature cooking, hydrogenated oils are far more stable and have a higher smoke point than most cooking oils. From the perspective of the food industry, it is important to understand their product reformulating challenges: The health promoting benefits of a fat or oil may not always have the same ability to grant a desirable flavor and texture in food during high temperature cooking.
The challenge to provide these cooking performance traits as well as a reasonable economic approach requires a good understanding of both the health properties and food science principles of oils. The choice of oil to use in frying is difficult, since factors such as stability, price, and nutrition must be considered. Oils with a saturated fatty acid profile may be stable, but they offer less nutritional benefits and increase the risk of heart disease. Hydrogenated fats, while stable in frying, are not warranted due to their high trans fatty acid content and negative health effects. Soybean oil, due to its high content of PUFA, is considered to be superior to hydrogenated fats from a nutritional standpoint. However, it is inferior in thermal and oxidative stability. The primary factor which promotes instability in oils is the degree of unsaturation in the fatty acids. The number of double bonds an oil contains is indicative to susceptibility for oxidation, especially if there are multiple double bonds occurring in the polyunsaturated form. This is why polyunsaturated seed oils, such as soybean and corn oil, are often hydrogenated when used for frying in the food industry. Antioxidants such as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), alone or in combination, are commonly added to fats and oils to reduce oxidative deterioration due to heat and storage. Tyagi et al investigated the changes in oil quality characteristics and fatty acid composition of refined, bleached, and deodorized soybean oil with and without antioxidants under frying conditions. Results from that research effort confirmed that the added antioxidants in soybean oil do not prevent the deterioration of the oil during frying. This may be attributed to their volatilization through evaporation and decomposition, and to the oxidative reactions during deep frying.
Today, the food industry has taken great strides to address health concerns regarding hydrogenated oils by reformulating many cooking/frying oils, baked goods, dressings, and other products to be trans free. This perhaps is one of the most important steps in offering consumers a wide variety of fried, baked, and convenience foods made with healthy fats/oils. This will be even more important among the food industry since the FDA will now require food labels to list the amount of trans fat in addition to the amount of total and saturated fats. According to data compiled by the FDA, removing trans fats from the food supply would prevent between 11,000 and 30,000 premature deaths and billions of dollars in medical costs per year. Consumers will be reading these labels more carefully and basing their decision on the information provided.
The food service industry can make a vital contribution to these efforts and help Americans reduce their consumption of trans fats. These efforts are already evident in many food products and large restaurant chains. One example of multi-purpose oil which is trans free is Mel-Fry, offered by Ventura Foods. Mel-Fry is a healthy alternative to partially hydrogenated oil. It can be used in deep and pan frying, sautéing, sauces, salad dressings, and baking. The fatty acid composition of Mel-Fry is comprised of 655 monounsaturated fatty acids, primarily from low linolenic canola oil, 27 percent polyunsaturated fatty acids, 8 percent saturated fatty acids, and 0 percent trans fatty acids. It also contains antioxidants such as vitamin E and beneficial phytosterols, which can lower cholesterol and the risk of heart disease.
Health Benefits of Mel-Fry
- Low in saturated fat: 1 g per tablespoon
- Trans fat free
- High in monounsaturated fat: 10 g per tablespoon
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