Food Chemistry 171 (2015) 351–355

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Food Chemistry

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Analytical Methods

Fatty acid profile of biscuits and salty snacks consumed by Braziliancollege students

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.08.1330308-8146/� 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +55 (21) 25626449; fax: +55 (21) 22808343.E-mail address: valentem@nutricao.ufrj.br (V.L. Valente Mesquita).

Flávia da Silva Lima Dias a, Maria Eliza Assis Passos a, Maria das Graças Tavares do Carmo b,Maria Lúcia Mendes Lopes a, Vera Lúcia Valente Mesquita a,⇑a Departamento de Nutrição Básica e Experimental, Instituto de Nutrição Josué de Castro, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Carlos Chagas Filho,393, RJ 21941-590, Brazilb Laboratório de Bioquímica Nutricional, Instituto de Nutrição Josué de Castro, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Carlos Chagas Filho,393, RJ 21941-590, Brazil

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history:Received 15 April 2013Received in revised form 24 March 2014Accepted 15 August 2014Available online 16 September 2014

Keywords:Fatty acidsFood compositionSnacksGas chromatography

High levels of biscuit and salty snack consumption have an effect on human health. This aim of this studywas to determine the fatty acid (FA) composition of 19 different biscuits and 10 types of salty snacks bygas chromatography. Palmitic acid was predominant in 79% of biscuits and represented more than 55% ofthe total saturated fatty acids (SFAs) in salty snacks. Low concentrations of trans fatty acids wereobserved in biscuits (0.86% of total FAs), and the highest values were observed in salty snacks (7.94%of total FAs). The results indicate a high daily intake of SFAs and trans fatty acids, which may have anunfavourable effect on health. Changes in dietary habits and appropriate food choices by students arestrongly recommended to prevent the risk of chronic disease. Furthermore, knowledge of the FA profileof food can help to establish health programs targeted to this population.

� 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

A healthy diet ensures adequate nutrition and energy balance aspart of an overall healthy lifestyle. The frequent intake of fast food,which has increased since the early 1970s, is associated with apoorer quality of diet and greater weight gain. Fast foods includeproducts rich in energy, total fat, and sugar and the consumptionof these foods leads to reduced consumption of healthy foodsand, consequently, fibre and antioxidants (Driskell, Meckna, &Scales, 2006; Larson et al., 2008).

American college students are reported to eat meals at fast foodrestaurants six to eight times a week (Driskell, Kim, & Goebel,2005), and the foods frequently purchased include hamburgers,ham and cheese sandwiches, and pizza (Driskell et al., 2006).Students eat at fast food restaurants because of the menu choices,cost, convenience, taste, and social interaction with friends(Driskell et al., 2005).

The food market is constantly changing, leading to a growingdiversity of available foods. Bakery products, such as ‘‘sweet’’ or‘‘salty’’ biscuits (sometimes known as ‘‘cookies’’ or ‘‘crackers’’,respectively) constitute a food item habitually consumed by people

of all ages and different segments of the population (Tyagi,Manikantan, Oberoi, & Kaur, 2007). Biscuits have become a tradi-tional food consumed in significant amounts in many countries(Mohsen, Fadel, Bekhit, Edris, & Ahmed, 2009).

According to the Family Budget Research Project 2002–2003 inBrazil, Levy-Costa, Sichieri, Pontes, and Monteiro (2005) observedan increase of approximately 400% in biscuit consumption com-pared with the period of 1974–1975. Biscuits are mainly made offlour, sugar, fats, and other minor ingredients with moisture con-tent (Perego, Sordi, Guastalli, & Converti, 2007). The long shelf lifeof these products enables large-scale production and widespreaddistribution (Tyagi et al., 2007).

The most recent Household Budget Survey among the Brazilianpopulation reported an increase spending on foods consumed out-side the home (IBGE, 2010). These foods included salty snacks,which are frequently consumed by students at universities.Another study conducted in Brazil indicated that these foods areamong those most commonly consumed by adolescents (Araújo,Veiga, Sichieri, & Pereira, 2010).

According to Brazilian legislation, salty snacks are created bycooking flour-based dough that can also be filled with other ingre-dients (ANVISA, 1978), that can be baked or fried and generally arerich in total fat, saturated fat, and trans fatty acids (TFAs), whichare associated with cardiovascular diseases (Ansorena, Echarte,

352 F. d. S. L. Dias et al. / Food Chemistry 171 (2015) 351–355

Ollé, & Astiasarán, 2013). TFAs are unsaturated fatty acids that con-tain one or more isolated double bond in a trans configuration andoccur naturally in the rumen of animals as a result of biohydroge-nation. The industrial process of hydrogenation improves textureand increases stability for a long shelf life. In general, margarines,shortenings, cooking fats and a variety of processed foodstuffs con-tain TFAs. Milk and meat also contain minimal amounts of thesefatty acids. The main isomer in ruminant fats is vaccenic acid(C18:1n11t), whereas elaidic acid isomers (C18:19nt andC18:1n10t) are predominant in industrially produced hydroge-nated fats (Mahesar et al., 2010).

A high intake of saturated fat contributes to the development ofcoronary heart disease (Hoenselaar, 2012). Recently, TFAs havebeen associated with adverse effects, such as increased low-den-sity lipoprotein cholesterol and decreased high-density lipoproteincholesterol levels (Nestel, 2014). Moreover, TFAs have beenreported to increase the levels of lipoprotein (a), an independentrisk factor for cardiovascular diseases (Martin, Carapelli,Visantainer, Matsushita, & Souza, 2005).

Most of the available food composition tables have inconsistentor incomplete values. The nature of these tables (e.g. incomplete,national values) causes significant problems, especially when com-paring results obtained from nutrition studies using different foodcomposition tables. Such differences introduce errors in the esti-mate of nutrient intake (Ros, Martínez de Victoria, & Farran,2009). Furthermore, food composition tables are, generally, defi-cient in information about TFA content. Considering the impor-tance for human health not only the amount of dietary fatconsumed but also the type of dietary fat, studies on fatty acid con-tent in processed foods are relevant. Thus, the aim of this studywas to evaluate the fatty acid profile of snacks commonly eatenby college students (18–24 years).

2. Materials and methods

2.1. Sampling

The selection of biscuits and salty snacks for analysis was basedon results from a previous study that evaluated the eating habits ofcollege students, which showed high levels of consumption ofthese products (data not shown).

Nineteen types of biscuits, including sweet and salty biscuits(Cream Cracker A, Cream Cracker B, Ham, Cheese, Salty, Sesame,Fine Herbs, Club Social�, Chocolate Wafer, Strawberry Wafer, Choc-olate Sandwich with cream filling A, Chocolate Sandwich withcream filling B, Strawberry Sandwich with cream filling A,Strawberry Sandwich with cream filling A, Malted Milk, Chocolate,Coconut, Maisena A, Maisena B), were used for this study. Threesamples of three different lots of each type of biscuit were pur-chased at supermarkets in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), at least sixmonths prior to their expiry date.

In addition, three samples of 10 different salty snacks were pur-chased from three different food stores on the campus of a Brazil-ian university. The salty snacks selected and their recommendedportion sizes were: bread cheese (baked dough prepared withcheese, 150 g), ham and cheese croissant (a croissant filled withham and cheese, 132 g), catupiry (a type of cream cheese) andchicken croissant (a croissant filled with catupiry and shreddedchicken, 128 g), croissant with four types of cheese (a croissantfilled with four types of cheese, 113 g), baked hamburger withcheddar (baked dough filled with hamburger meat and cheddarcheese, 124 g), cream cheese and chicken croissant (a croissantfilled with cream cheese and shredded chicken, 122 g), ham andcheese in a puff pastry (puff pastry dough filled with ham andcheese, 115 g), catupiry and chicken in a puff pastry (puff pastry

dough filled with catupiry and shredded chicken, 139 g), Italiansnack (baked dough filled with ham and cheese, 157 g), and cheeseand turkey breast in a whole wheat croissant (a croissant preparedwith whole wheat flour filled with cheese and turkey breast,112 g).

These samples were homogenized in an analytic micro-mill(Retsch, mesh 0.50, São Paulo, Brazil), placed in nylon bags thatwere sealed in a vacuum sealer (TecMaq, TM 250 Liquid, São Paulo,Brazil), labelled, and stored under vacuum at �22 �C until analysis.

2.2. Fatty acid profile

Total lipids were extracted from samples using the Bligh andDyer method (1959) with two different solvents (chloroform andmethanol).

The fatty acid methyl esters were prepared by methylation asdescribed by Metcalfe, Schmitz, and Pelka (1966) and analysedusing a gas chromatograph (PerkinElmer Autosystem XL,Massachusetts, USA) equipped with a flame ionization detectorand a 100 m � 0.25 mm column (SP2560, Supelco Inc., Bellefonte,PA). The hydrogen gas carrier flow was 2 mL/min at a split ratioof 1/100. The injector and detector temperatures were 250 �Cand 275 �C, respectively. The column was operated at 90–225 �C(AOAC, 2005).

The chromatogram peaks were assigned manually on the basisof comparison with the reference standards (Supelco S37, SãoPaulo, Brazil), and the integrated peak areas were used to assignpercentage composition. Fatty acids were expressed as percentageof total fat.

2.3. Statistical analysis

The samples were analysed in triplicate, and the results areexpressed as mean value ± standard deviation. The results werecompared using analysis of variance with a 5% significance level(Ribeiro, 2004).

3. Results and discussion

Tables 1 and 2 describe the results of fatty acid compositionanalysis of only the biscuits where more than 0.1% of a given fattyacid was present. However, all data were used to calculate compos-ite parameters (e.g., sum of monounsaturated fatty acids [MUFAs],polyunsaturated fatty acids [PUFAs], saturated fatty acids [SFAs],and TFAs).

The most predominant fatty acids were SFAs, followed byMUFAs and PUFAs. Palmitic acid (C16:0) was the most abundantfatty acid in 14 of the 19 types of biscuits the biscuits. The percent-age of C16:0 ranged from 22.73% in a Chocolate Sandwich withcream filling (brand E) to 50.64% in Fine Herbs biscuits. Juan(2000) reported a palmitic acid content of 25.2% in samples of bis-cuits from Spain. Stearic acid (C18:0) was also found in the sam-ples. The higher concentration of short- and medium-chain fattyacids found was probably due to a greater content of coconut,palm, and palm kernel oils in the biscuits.

Li and Renier (2008) detected a relationship between palmiticacid levels and the C-reactive protein expression in aortic endothe-lial cells. The regulation of endothelial C-reactive protein expres-sion by palmitic acid may contribute to endothelial dysfunction.

Low TFA concentrations were found in the biscuits. The contentof elaidic acid isomers (C18:1t) was 0.71% in the chocolate biscuit.Elaidic acid is a TFA formed during hydrogenation and causesadverse health effects.

The absence and low content of TFAs in convenience products,fast foods, and fats indicates the paucity of hydrogenated vegetable

Table 1Fatty acids profile of the salty biscuits.

Fatty acids (%) Salty biscuits

Cream Cracker A Cream Cracker B Ham Cheese Salty Sesame Fine Herbs Club Social�

C14:0 0.49 ± 0.03 0.70 ± 0.31 0.44 ± 0.06 1.38 ± 0.30 0.48 ± 0.14 0.36 ± 0.01 0.56 ± 0.22 0.41 ± 0.20C16:0 47.77 ± 1.95 42.41 ± 3.21 42.51 ± 2.74 39.09 ± 6.37 40.59 ± 4.64 35.31 ± 0.40 50.64 ± 21.37 36.99 ± 1.77C18:0 2.58 ± 0.21 3.18 ± 0.80 3.54 ± 0.36 6.30 ± 4.63 3.53 ± 1.34 3.20 ± 0.26 3.45 ± 1.43 2.83 ± 0.36SFA 51.2 46.69 46.70 47.57 45.01 41.01 63.21 40.52C18:1n9c 35.89 ± 1.20 36.31 ± 0.25 40.38 ± 5.08 31.43 ± 8.46 48.94 ± 25.83 40.83 ± 1.73 37.42 ± 4.53 27.50 ± 1.70MUFA 36.12 36.58 40.66 31.81 49.23 40.98 38.25 27.91C18:2n6c 12.52 ± 0.60 16.61 ± 1.89 12.53 ± 5.13 20.34 ± 14.03 19.12 ± 11.94 17.93 ± 6.15 10.87 ± 5.00 31.18 ± 1.43C18:3n3 0.01 ± 0.005 nd 0.02 ± 0.02 0.02 ± 0.01 0.03 ± 0.01 0.02 ± 0.01 0.03 ± 0.03 ndPUFA 12.64 16.68 12.61 20.45 19.24 18.02 11.00 31.22C18:1t nd 0.006 ± 0.005 0.02 ± 0.04 0.08 ± 0.11 nd nd nd 0.16 ± 0.27C18:2t nd 0.02 ± 0.02 nd 0.07 ± 0.04 0.05 ± 0.03 nd nd 0.16 ± 0.14TFA nd 0.03 0.02 0.15 0.05 nd nd 0.32

⁄ nd = not detected.

F. d. S. L. Dias et al. / Food Chemistry 171 (2015) 351–355 353

fat (Wagner, Plasser, Proell, & Kanzler, 2008), which may representan initiative by the food industry to reduce the use of these fattyacids in response to publicity about the possible deleterious healtheffects related to their consumption (Roe et al., 2013). However,this type of fat may be replaced by a vegetable fat such as palmoil (high in SFAs), which is a source of palmitic acid; the elevatedlevels of SFAs in the biscuits in the present study appears to sup-port this point. The results demonstrate that the replacement ofpartially hydrogenated fat with palm oil can increase the SFA andTFA levels in foods, both of which can represent a health hazard.

High levels of oleic fatty acid (C18:1n9C) were found in all sam-ples. This result supports that reported by Martin et al. (2005), whoreported >30% oleic fatty acid content in all five brands of creamcracker biscuits that they analysed.

Geraldo and Alfenas (2008) reported that the consumption of ahigh-fat diet, rich in oleic acid, does not trigger the inflammatoryprocess that is observed in response to the consumption of ahyperlipidemic diet rich in SFAs and TFAs. According to Juan(2000), lauric (C12:0) and palmitic acids have atherogenic effectsin humans. Moreover, Lopes, Aro, Azevedo, Ramos, and Barros(2007) observed that the consumption of oleic, palmitic, and lauricacids was inversely associated with acute myocardial infarction;however, no associations were found with the consumption ofmyristic (C14:0) and stearic acids. Vardavas, Yiannopoulos,Kiriakakis, Poulli, and Kafatos (2007) suggested that excessiveSFA consumption contributes to high rates of chronic diseases suchas cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus.

The levels of PUFAs ranged from 8.63% (Malted Milk biscuit) to31.22% (Club Social biscuit), and linoleic acid (C18:2n-6) was themost abundant PUFA, ranging from 8.51% to 31.18% of the biscuitcontents. According to Vardavas et al. (2007), this is the most com-mon PUFA found in snacks. An increase in linoleic acid intake hasbeen shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases (Lopeset al., 2007).

Baylin, Siles, Donovan-Palmer, Fernandez, and Campos (2007)reported the importance of not only characterizing the total linole-nic acid content but also the alpha- linolenic acid (C18:3n3) con-tent, which is associated with a decreased incidence of chronicdiseases. The highest level of alpha-linolenic acid found in ourstudy was 0.16%.

The composition of fatty acids in salty snacks is presented inTable 3. Twenty-seven fatty acids were identified and quantified:SFA, 13; MUFA, six; PUFA, six; and TFA, two.

Palmitic acid represented more than 55% of the total SFAs in thesalty snacks. This fatty acid is found mainly in dairy foods such asbutter. Although it was expected that salty snacks with puff pastrywould have a higher amount of this fatty acid because butter isgenerally used as an ingredient, high amounts of palmitic acid

were also found in ham and cheese croissants, catupiry andchicken croissants, and cream cheese and chicken croissants. Thiswas probably because of the use of this fat to prepare the doughfor the croissant.

Oleic acid, the fatty acid that is present in large amounts in oliveoil, was the most abundant MUFA, although the values were rela-tively low. Olive oil is probably not used to prepare these snacksowing to the high cost. The PUFA present at the highest concentra-tions was linoleic acid (C18:2n6c), which is generally found in veg-etable oils. Presumably, soya oil is used in snack dough, although inlow quantities.

Relatively high levels of TFAs were observed: elaidic acid iso-mers (C18:1t) were the primary TFA, which is found in hydroge-nated vegetable fat (Wagner et al., 2008). Thus, it is possible thatthis type of fat is often added to snack dough. A study that analysedthe TFA content of a selection of foods sold in Switzerland, such ascroissants and hamburgers, reported that elaidic acid was the TFAdetected at the highest levels (Richter, Shawish, Scheeder, &Colombani, 2009).

Other studies have reported high contents of TFAs in differentkinds of convenience foods and biscuits (Martin et al., 2005;Saunders et al., 2008; Wagner et al., 2008). Countries like Argen-tina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, New Zealand, Mex-ico, Switzerland, United States of America and Uruguay haveintroduced the mandatory declaration of TFAs content in the nutri-tional facts panel of processed food (Mossoba, Milosevic, Milosevic,Kramer, & Azizian, 2007). It is known that these fatty acids arepresent in bakery foods; however, the levels found in these snackswere higher than expected. It is important to note that the TFAcontent in a snack portion, such as a ham and cheese croissant, isgreater than that recommended in the guidance of consumptionby the World Health Organization (approximately 1% of totalenergy per day) (Filho, 2014; Roodenburg & Leenen, 2007). DanishNutritional Council, since January 2004, has amended a limit of 2%TFAs in oils and fats used in local and imported processed foods(Krettek, Thorpenberg, & Bondjers, 2008). According to Brazilianlegislation, food can be considered to be free of TFA when the con-tent is <0.25 g per portion (ANVISA, 2003). However, more thanone portion of this type of food is frequently consumed.

It is important to note that the serving size of these snacks ismore than 100 g, and they are usually part of a meal, generally con-sumed with another snack or followed by a dessert. Thus, high levelsof SFAs and TFAs can be ingested when salty snacks are consumed.

In the United States, in late 2013, the FDA issued a preliminarydetermination that trans fats are not ‘‘generally recognized assafe’’, a statement that begins a process to consider TFA as a foodadditive which requires authorization to be included as an ingredi-ent in foods (Assaf, 2014; FDA & Drug Administration, 2013).

Table 2Fatty acids profile of the sweet biscuits.

Fattyacids (%)

Sweet biscuits

ChocolateWafer

StrawberryWafer

Chocolate Sandwichwith cream filling E

Strawberry Sandwichwith cream filling E

Chocolate Sandwichwith cream filling F

Strawberry Sandwichwith cream filling F

Malted Milk Chocolate Coconut Maisena A Maisena B

C14:0 2.59 ± 0.55 2.59 ± 0.56 1.18 ± 1.62 2.44 ± 1.82 3.19 ± 1.93 3.61 ± 0.96 0.60 ± 0.21 1.85 ± 0.20 4.91 ± 0.55 3.12 ± 0.87 1.55 ± 1.62C16:0 30.88 ± 7.89 28.58 ± 3.11 22.73 ± 2.35 31.85 ± 10.66 27.33 ± 4.51 26.36 ± 5.28 44.43 ± 5.34 42.24 ± 2.04 34.90 ± 6.27 42.37 ± 2.71 42.47 ± 8.79C18:0 17.47 ± 7.70 19.05 ± 4.42 4.28 ± 0.46 10.31 ± 2.12 19.89 ± 2.82 20.60 ± 3.50 4.52 ± 0.21 6.48 ± 0.74 3.67 ± 0.46 2.81 ± 0.21 5.20 ± 4.78SFA 58.40 58.76 28.48 45.17 62.09 64.09 54.61 55.01 70.22 48.58 50.20C18:1n9c 23.87 ± 4.38 22.78 ± 4.04 59.49 ± 1.80 34.69 ± 12.07 26.03 ± 3.78 24.64 ± 4.88 36.13 ± 0.82 21.51 ± 0.60 17.10 ± 5.25 39.49 ± 1.28 31.29 ± 4.62MUFA 25.58 24.38 60.37 37.96 27.28 27.88 36.80 21.99 18.43 40.16 32.59C18:2n6c 15.83 ± 3.69 16.83 ± 3.01 10.83 ± 1.93 16.44 ± 2.65 9.70 ± 1.61 8.89 ± 0.69 8.51 ± 0.79 21.93 ± 1.93 22.60 ± 11.41 11.20 ± 1.51 17.10 ± 6.81C18:3n3 nd nd 0.02 ± 0.02 0.01 ± 0.02 nd nd 0.007 ± 0.006 0.16 ± 0.14 nd 0.02 ± 0.02 ndPUFA 15.94 16.91 11.05 16.68 9.91 8.97 8.63 22.18 22.7 11.36 17.15C18:1t 0.03 ± 0.05 0.02 ± 0.04 0.06 ± 0.09 0.12 ± 0.17 0.80 ± 0.43 0.86 ± 0.43 0.03 ± 0.05 0.71 ± 1.10 0.11 ± 0.12 nd 0.05 ± 0.01C18:2t 0.01 ± 0.02 0.02 ± 0.03 0.02 ± 0.00 0.03 ± 0.02 nd nd nd nd 0.03 ± 0.01 nd ndTFA 0.04 0.04 0.08 0.15 0.80 0.86 0.03 0.71 0.14 nd 0.05

⁄ nd = not detected.

Table 3Fatty acids profile of the salty snacks.

Fattyacids (%)

Salty snacks

Bread cheese Ham andcheesecroissant

Catupiry andchicken croissant

Four cheesecroissant

Baked hamburgerwith cheddar

Cream cheese andchicken croissant

Ham and cheese ina puff pastry

Catupiry and chickenin a puff pastry

Italiansnack

Cheese and turkey breastwhole wheat croissant

C14:0 4.80 ± 0.47 4.45 ± 2.51 1.24 ± 0.07 2.48 ± 0.41 4.59 ± 1.94 0.84 ± 0.21 2.65 ± 1.08 1.02 ± 0.08 5.98 ± 1.35 1.66 ± 0.88C16:0 34.71 ± 1.80 52.19 ± 4.56 44.64 ± 8.94 4.21 ± 13.44 40.13 ± 11.34 33.50 ± 5.02 48.69 ± 3.06 39.10 ± 2.11 31.04 ± 3.51 45.30 ± 5.40C18:0 12.27 ± 8.10 7.2 ± 4.56 5.31 ± 1.72 5.36 ± 0.25 13.41 ± 0 7.60 ± 0.02 6.97 ± 3.24 8.44 ± 2.00 9.69 ± 2.82 9.23 ± 3.79SFA 56.09 64.26 54.01 13.07 60.12 42.71 60.74 55.52 46.85 61.44C18:1n9c 1.83 ± 1.50 nd nd nd 6.87 ± 0 nd 5.66 ± 0.22 nd 5.95 ± 0 6.20 ± 1.33MUFA 3.32 1.09 0.87 0.74 6.87 nd 6.61 nd 6.05 6.74C18:2n6c 24.64 ± 14.48 7.72 ± 10.69 nd 0.40 ± 0.23 23.25 ± 17.04 11.91 ± 6.88 22.07 ± 5.94 14.91 ± 2.86 15.81 ± 3.43 27.34 ± 2.80C18:3n3 0 ± 0 0.19 ± 0.05 nd 0.19 ± 0.06 0.31 ± 0 nd nd nd 0.20 ± 0.11 <0.1PUFA 25.68 7.91 1.35 2.45 25.04 11.91 22.07 14.91 17.33 28.61C18:1t 4.17 ± 4.18 5.74 ± 1.60 nd nd 4.05 ± 0 nd 5.24 ± 2.66 nd 7.83 ± 0 3.15 ± 0C18:2t <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 0.13 ± 0.16 1.49 ± 3.42 nd 0.29 ± 0.06 nd 0.11 ± 0.02 0.13 ± 0.05TFA 4.17 5.74 0 0.13 5.54 nd 5.53 nd 7.94 3.28

⁄ nd = not detected.

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The important finding of the present study includes the amountof TFAs found in both types of analysed products. Although lowTFA concentrations were observed in biscuits, in which the largestvalue corresponded to 0.86% of total fatty acids, much higher val-ues of these fatty acids were observed in salty snacks, including7.94% in Italian snack and 5.53% in the ham and cheese puff pastry.This discrepancy can be explained by the fact that, besides beingproduced using different ingredients, salty snacks are sold withoutany labelling or nutritional information, unlike biscuits. Moreover,Brazilian industries have been encouraged by national and interna-tional government agencies to reduce the hydrogenated fats andTFA content in foods.

Although most biscuit manufacturers have highlighted theabsence of TFAs as a major nutritional benefit, this informationshould be viewed with caution as it may be interpreted that suchproducts can be consumed without restriction. Therefore, knowl-edge regarding the types of fatty acids that are consumed is ofgreat importance, because studies demonstrate that health isaffected not only by the lipid content of the diet, but also by thetype of fatty acids.

The salty snacks analysed in this study contained high levels ofSFAs and TFAs. This consumption pattern can significantly increasethe risk of cardiovascular disease, which is the major cause ofdeath worldwide and was attributed to 30% of all deaths in 2005(Cimadon, Geremia, & Pellanda, 2010). This is particularly impor-tant considering that a previous study conducted at a Brazilianpublic university reported high levels of salty snack consumption(data not shown).

The results of this study indicate that the growing consumptionof convenience foods by the global population is a public healthproblem. Knowledge of the fatty acid profile of foods is necessaryand important to develop programs to prevent chronic diseases.Furthermore, considering the importance of education regardingthe risks associated with foods of low nutritional quality, theresults of this study were included in a healthy-eating booklet pre-pared for distribution among the students.

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho deAmparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ - Brazil)and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior(CAPES - Brazil) for financial support.

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