EVALUATION OF TRANS FATY ACID IN SOME SELECTED FOOD SAMPLES

ABSTRACT

Trans fatty acids, which are unsaturated fatty acids featuring one or more unconjugated double bonds in a trans configuration, are strongly linked to several health conditions like coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis, obesity, and diabetes when regularly consumed. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that each year, trans fat consumption is responsible for over 500,000 deaths due to cardiovascular diseases. In light of this, WHO has launched a project called REPLACE, aimed at providing guidelines to all nations on how to remove artificial trans fats from their dietary patterns, potentially leading to a global elimination. This comprehensive initiative comprises six distinct modules and an integrated strategy for eradicating trans fats. The six areas of action are: Review, Promote, Legislate, Assess, create and enforce. According to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigeria is currently going through the process of removing trans-fat from its food supply chain. This study seeks to identify the presence of trans fat in brands of meat pie samples obtained in Benin-city, Edo state. The meat pie samples used in this study were obtained from street vendors and restaurants in Benin-city. The fat from each sample was extracted using a mixture of equal parts of Diethyl ether and Hexane. The extracted fat was then methylated using 2N methanoic potassium hydroxide, the samples were then analyzed using Gas Chromatography-Mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to identify and quantify the amounts of trans fat in the compounds. Results from the GC-MS analysis showed the presence of unsaturated fatty acids and saturated fatty acids. samples (MP23-001, MP23-003, and MP3-004) did not contain trans-fat but sample MP23-002 contained 5% Trans fatty acids (TFAs). This could possibly be due to the quality of the vegetable oils used in the preparation of the meat pie and the mode of preparation