Assessment of the fatty acid patterns in vegetable oils, fats and fat-rich foods commonly consumed in Egypt

• Main Authors: Laila Hussein, Mahmoud Ali, Ali Abouelhassan, Stanislaw Grzeskiewicz, Dennis Cantellops
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas 2001-08-01
• Series: Grasas y Aceites
• Subjects: analysis; egypt; fat; fatty acids; food; vegetable oil
• Online Access: http://grasasyaceites.revistas.csic.es/index.php/grasasyaceites/article/view/352
• ISSN: 0017-3495; 1988-4214

Forty-one individual food samples were analyzed for their fatty acid contents by gas-liquid chromatography using capillary tubes. The samples belonged to 5 different food groups and included vegetable oils, butter & ghee, animal fats, dairy products, fishes, chicken & meats and other popular dishes. The results show that maize oil was lowest in its total saturated fatty acid content (11%) and richest in linolenic acid. On the other hand, total saturated fatty acids made up 42-62 % of the total fatty acid patterns of the lamb and camel fat tallow, respectively. Long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (C20-C22) with two to six double bonds were present only in fishes. Estimate of fat intake amounted to 36 grams per subject per day and the % contribution of the analyzed fats was presented. The ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids amounted to 0.96; which falls within the optimum dietary goals.