Nutritional Aspects of Trans Fatty Acids

Most naturally occurring unsaturated fatty acids have their double bonds in the cis configuration. This cis configuration makes the molecule bend at the place of that double bond. Trans Fatty Acids (TFAs) are unsaturated fatty acids with at least one double bond in the trans configuration instead of the cis configuration. The double bond in the trans configuration gives the molecule a straighter shape. The straighter shape of the molecules allows them to pack better in solid state. This leads to transformation of oils into semisolid fats. There are two sources of TFAs: industrial and ruminant. This chapter reviews the nutritional aspects of TFAs from various sources and discusses the studies in human subjects. It is clear that intake of industrial TFAs has unfavorable health effects. Thus, intake of these fatty acids should be as low as possible and future research should not focus so much on establishing other health effects but rather should search for technological solutions for replacement of these TFAs in food products. This is specifically a challenge for the bakery industry because of the specific baking properties of TFAs.