Margarines source oils

A few fatty acids with trans double bonds (trans fatty acids) occur naturally but the major source of trans fats comes from partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils m for example the preparation of margarine However the same catalysts that catalyze the... 

Small amounts of trans-unsamrated fatty acids are found in ruminant fat (eg, butter fat has 2-7%), where they arise from the action of microorganisms in the rumen, but the main source in the human diet is from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (eg, margarine). Trans fatty acids compete with essential fatty acids and may exacerbate essential fatty acid deficiency. Moreover, they are strucmrally similar to samrated fatty acids (Chapter 14) and have comparable effects in the promotion of hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis (Chapter 26). 

Vitamin E, a fat-soluble vitamin, is used in vitamin E deficiency in premature infants and in patients with impaired fat absorption (including patients with cystic fibrosis) and in biliary atresia. Sources are eggs, vegetable oils, margarine, and mayonnaise nuts and seeds fortified cereals green leafy vegetables. 

In a follow-up study of those food groups making major contributions to the overall dietary exposure in the UK, the cereals and fats and oils groups were each shown to contribute around one-third of the total dietary exposure.27 Much of this was due to the edible oils in the cereal products. The PAHs were traced back through margarine production to oilseed growth. The source appeared to be on the farm, leaving an unidentified environmental source as the most likely explanation. 

Benecol is a brand of margarine invented by a small Finnish food company (The Raisio Group). Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine by Finnish researchers indicates that regular use of Benecol can lower blood cholesterol levels by an average of 10 percent in a randomly selected, mildly hypercholesterolemic population sample. Its active ingredient is a plant sterol from Nordic pine trees known as beta-sitostanol, which apparently can block some of the body s absorption of dietary cholesterol. At present, 5 tons of wood waste are processed to produce 1 pound of the oil that is the source of the sterol. 

There are few dietary sources of cholecalciferol. The richest sources are oily fish (especially fish fiver oils), although eggs also contain a relatively large cunount, and there is a modest amount in milk fat and animal liver. In many countries, margarine is fortified with vitamin D. No common plant foods contain vitamin D, although some tropical plants contain calciferol glucuronides that tu-e hydrolyzed in the intestinal lumen and are a source of the vitamin. Indeed, this can be a cause of hypervitaminosis and calcinosis in grazing animals. 

The physical state of fats and oils and their crystal structures are important for application of such products. In addition, formulation of products for special applications such as bakery, confectionary, frying, salad dressing, margarines, and spreads requires special characteristics that make the products suitable for such purposes. Thus, each source material will be important for its physical and chemical characteristics and hence suitability as a food component. 

In China, canola-type rapeseed oil products still contribute a very small proportion of total rapeseed oil products. Oil from both high erucic acid rapeseed and canola rapeseed represent the largest use of edible oil at present. The oil from these two sources is almost entirely used as cooking oil. There are very little amounts of this oil used for margarine or shortening formulations at present. Efforts are being made to widen the spectrum of edible oil products and convert from HEAR cultivation to canola cultivation. 

High lauric acid canola oil was developed in the United States as an alternative source for coconut and palm-kemel oils for both food and nonfood uses (141). The oil contains about 35% lauric acid. Until now, this oil has not found any significant commercial use. The main reason for the lack of acceptance is said to be because of its significantly different fatty acid composition compared with coconut oil, and the consequent difference in performance in typical coconut oil applications. Some use was made of the oil in the United States as a base stock for a tran -isomer free margarine and in Europe as a machine oil additive (142), but there is no longer any significant seed production. 

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