In recent years, with the enhancement of health awareness, people are turning pale when talking about trans fats acid (TFA). " zero TFA" has also become a direction of efforts in the food industry. Foodmate will introduce the relevant knowledge of trans fatty acids, so that you can have a more comprehensive understanding of TFA.

What is TFA?

TFA is a kind of fatty acid. It is named after one or more "non-conjugated trans double bonds" in its chemical structure. It is an unsaturated fatty acid.

Sources of TFA in foods

There are two main sources of TFA in foods: natural sources and processed sources.

Natural food sources: ruminantmeat, meat, fat and milk of cattle and sheep.

Processed sources: The main source is the hydrogenation and refining process of vegetable oil. A small amount of TFA will be produced when the oil temperature is too high and the cooking lasts too long, and processed TFA is the focus of attention. Hydrogenated oil is the most used in the food industry, and the hydrogenation of vegetable oil is through hydrogenation on unsaturated bonds. In the case of incomplete hydrogenation, some double bonds are converted from natural "cis structure" to "trans structure". TFA are produced only when vegetable oil is not completely hydrogenated. If it is completely hydrogenated, it is not TFA but saturated fat. Therefore, hydrogenated vegetable oil cannot be equated with TFA.

Effects of TFA in foods on health

Eating TFA will increase the risk of coronary heart disease because it can increase the "bad" LDL cholesterol and reduce the "good" HDL cholesterol. It is generally believed that the partially hydrogenated vegetable oil poses a greater risk to health than the pure natural vegetable oil.

When should TFA be labeled?

According to the requirements of the National Food Safety Standard General Principles for the Nutrition Labeling of Pre-packaged Food (GB 28050-2011) and its revised version of Q&A, the labeling of TFA includes the mandatory labeling required in the standard and the voluntary labeling by enterprises.

When hydrogenated and/or partially hydrogenated fats and oils are used in the food ingredients or production process, the content of trans fats (acids) shall be indicated in the nutrition composition table. Ingredients containing products with hydrogenated oil and/or partially hydrogenated oil as main raw materials, such as margarine, shortening, vegetable fat powder and cocoa butter substitute, shall also be marked with trans fat (acid) content. If an enterprise claims TFA, it is required to mark its content and comply with the claim requirements in the standard.

In China, the naturally occurring TFA in foods are not required to be labeled compulsorily, and enterprises can choose whether to label them voluntarily. If the food ingredients do not contain or hydrogenated and/or partially hydrogenated fats are not used in the production process, the enterprise can choose whether to mark the content of TFA at its own discretion.

Requirements of some countries/regions on the claim of TFA content

Some countries/regions list TFA as core nutrients and require mandatory labeling on labels. Manufacturers often claim that they do not contain TFA on food labels as the selling point of products, Foodmate summarized the relevant regulations on the claim of trans fatty acid content in some countries/regions.