Trans-fatty acids: an integrative review

Abstract

The objective of this study was to perform an integrative literature review on the trans fats occurrence in foods and their effects on consumers’ health, in addition to highlighting the changes of laws that came into force in 2023. Fatty acids (FA) are chemically classified as trans fats, when the hydrogens attached to the unsaturated carbons are on the opposite sides of the plane. Naturally, they can be found in products from ruminant animals, due to the bio-hydrogenation process that occurs in the rumen microbiota. Industrially, they are produced by the hydrogenation process, in which a hydrogen molecule is added to the unsaturation between carbons. Furthermore, they can be generated in frying operations or in the processing of vegetable oils, as a consequence from to the high temperatures applied. The World Health Organization recommends that the maximum intake of trans fat should be 1% of the calories in the daily diet, since obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol levels, and hypertension are diseases correlated with the intake this fat. Thus, in this review, the theme was explored as a matter of public utility, to the point of verifying the great need in developing new industrial production processes, to minimize the occurrence of trans-fatty acids in industrialized foods.