The linoleic acid and trans fatty acids of margarines

Abstract

Fifty brands of margarine were analysed for cis-polyunsaturated acids by lipox-idase, for trans fatty acid by infrared spectroscopy, and for fatty acid composition by gas-liquid chromatography. High concentrations of trans fatty acids tended to be associated with low concentrations of linoleic acid. Later analyses on eight of the brands, representing various proportions of linoleic to trans fatty acids, indicated that two of them contained still higher levels of trans fatty acids (>60%) and negligible amounts of linoleic acid. It is proposed that margarine could be a vehicle for the distribution of some dietary linoleic acid and that the level of linoleic acid and the summation of the saturated plus trans fatty acids be known to ascertain nutritional characteristics.