Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Dietetic products, nutrition and allergies [NDA] related to nutrition claims concerning omega-3 fatty acids, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat and unsaturated fat

Trends in Fat Modifications Enabling Alternative Partially Hydrogenated Fat Products Proposed for Advanced Application

The natural properties of oils and fats do not always allow for their direct use in industry (e.g., for food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals). Furthermore, such raw materials are often too expensive. Nowadays, the requirements for the quality and safety of fat products are increasing. For this reason, oils and fats are subjected to various modifications that make it possible to obtain a product with the desired characteristics and good quality that meets the needs of product buyers and technologists. The modification techniques of oils and fats change their physical (e.g., raise the melting point) and chemical properties (e.g., fatty acid composition). Conventional fat modification methods (hydrogenation, fractionation, and chemical interesterification) do not always meet the expectations of consumers, nutritionists, and technologists. In particular, Hydrogenation, while it allows us to obtain delicious products from the point of view of technology, is criticised for nutritional reasons. During the partial hydrogenation process, trans-isomers (TFA), dangerous for health, are formed. One of the modifications that meets current environmental requirements and trends in product safety and sustainable production is the enzymatic interesterification of fats. The unquestionable advantages of this process are the wide spectrum of possibilities for designing the product and its functional properties. After the interesterification process, the biologically active fatty acids in the fatty raw materials remain intact. However, this method is associated with high production costs. Oleogelation is a novel method of structuring liquid oils with small oil-gelling substances (even 1%). Based on the type of oleogelator, the methods of preparation can differ. Most oleogels of low molecular weight (waxes, monoglycerides, and sterols) and ethyl cellulose are prepared by dispersion in heated oil, while oleogels of high molecular weight require dehydration of the emulsion system or solvent exchange. This technique does not change the chemical composition of the oils, which allows them to keep their nutritional value. The properties of oleogels can be designed according to technological needs. Therefore, oleogelation is a future-proof solution that can reduce the consumption of TFA and saturated fatty acids while enriching the diet with unsaturated fatty acids. Oleogels can be named "fats of the future" as a new and healthy alternative for partially hydrogenated fats in foods.

Study on the Incorporation of Oat and Yeast β-Glucan into Shortbread Biscuits as a Basis for Designing Healthier and High Quality Food Products

According to international health and food organizations and authorities, people should limit fat intake since fat is the most caloric component of food and it is often a source of unsafe saturated fatty acids (FA) and trans isomers. The greatest health benefits come from replacing shorts with dietary fiber molecules. The aim of the study was to determine the possibility of reducing shortening content, which has an undesirable profile of FA, by addition of β-glucan molecules in shortbread biscuits. The effect of oat and yeast β-glucan supplementation on physical and sensory quality of products with reduced fat content (max 15%) were studied. It was shown that the substitution of shortening by β-glucan in shortbread biscuits is possible to a limited extent. Reduction in product energy value (up to 36 kcal/100 g) and content of undesirable FA (maximum 2.1 g/100 g) and increased of β-glucan content, regardless of the type, caused deterioration of biscuits quality and affected changes during storage. The substitution of shortening by β-glucan in food is a good way to improve nutritional value by increasing the amount of dietary fiber molecules, reducing calories, and amount of SFA in diets.

Study on the Introduction of Solid Fat with a High Content of Unsaturated Fatty Acids to Gluten-Free Muffins as a Basis for Designing Food with Higher Health Value

BACKGROUND

Shortenings are high in undesirable nutritionally saturated fatty acids. The aim of the study was to produce gluten-free muffins (GFM) of increased health quality and available to people intolerant to gluten, in which the shortenings were replaced with solid oleogels, consisting of 95% rapeseed oil.

METHODS

The dough and baked products were subjected to physical, textural, and structural analyses. Moreover, the fatty acids composition, chemical quality of fats extracted from muffins, and color of the products were determined. The dough was also observed at 600× magnification in bright field and polarized light microscopy, and microtomographic analysis of the structure of GTM was performed.

RESULTS

There was no effect of the type of lipids on physical properties, including water content in gluten-free muffins. However, the baked products differed in total porosity and brightness, as well as intensity of red and yellow colors. The use of rapeseed oil oleogels, instead of shortening in the muffin recipe, resulted in a decrease in the dietary undesirable SFA in lipid fractions (by approximately 40%), an increase in the content of MUFA (by approximately 30%), and an increase in the content of PUFA (by approximately 15%), with acceptable chemical quality.

CONCLUSIONS

Research confirms the possibility of obtaining products with increased nutritional value available to consumers on a gluten-free diet.

Replacing Corn and Wheat in Layer Diets with Hulless Oats Shows Effects on Sensory Properties and Yolk Quality of Eggs

US organic poultry producers are under pressure to find feed alternatives to corn and wheat. Hulless oats offer advantages such as wide geographic adaptation of the plant and high concentrations of protein and oil in the grain. They have shown considerable potential in experimental work as a feed grain for poultry, but more research is needed into their influence on the sensory and nutritional properties of eggs. In this study, hulless oats were substituted for corn or wheat at 200 g kg⁻¹ in diets fed to Hy-Line Brown hens and eggs were sampled for sensory evaluation after 8 weeks. Discrimination tests of blended and baked egg samples found evidence of difference between eggs from oat-based diets and those from the oat-free control (p < 0.05 for eggs from an oat-corn diet, p < 0.01 for eggs from an oat-wheat diet). Acceptance tests of similar samples showed that eggs from the oat-wheat diet were significantly less liked than control eggs for their texture (p < 0.01) and response to cooking (p < 0.01), while eggs from the oat-corn diet were somewhat less liked. Yolk weight was greater (p < 0.05) in control eggs (34.1 g) than eggs from oat-corn (31.6 g) or oat-wheat (31.2 g) diets, leading to smaller yolk proportion in the oat-fed eggs. Fatty acid profile differences across treatments were not of nutritional significance, and no evidence was found that the feeding of hulless oats improved storage properties of eggs. In this study, modifying the carbohydrate source in layer diets was shown to change textural properties of cooked eggs in a way that was perceptible to untrained consumers, probably by reducing the yolk proportion. This finding was not commercially relevant owing to small effect size, and results overall add to existing evidence that hulless oats can be fed to poultry at a moderate proportion of the diet with no negative effect on consumer acceptability of eggs. Regardless of the small effect size, however, findings are interesting from the food chemistry perspective because they provide novel evidence of how the thermal properties of eggs can be altered by a change in hen dietary carbohydrate source.

Enriching Diet with n-3 PUFAs to Help Prevent Cardiovascular Diseases in Healthy Adults: Results from Clinical Trials

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) are believed to be important for cardiovascular health. Many investigations have been carried out in an attempt to examine the effect of n-3 PUFAs intake, in the form of supplementation or fortified foods, for the management of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and risk factors for CVD, whereas less is known about the effect on healthy individuals. The present study reviews the available literature in order to examine the relationship between n-3 PUFAs intake, either via supplementation or enriched food, and the prevention of CVD among healthy adults. Interventional clinical trials on subjects aged >18 years old with none of the established risk factors for CVD have been considered for review. n-3 PUFAs supplementation or enriched food may positively regulate triglycerides and some lipoprotein subsets, as well as several vascular and coagulation parameters, even in healthy patients, presenting no risk factors for CVD, suggesting a protective effect. Diet enrichment with omega-3 is likely to be useful in helping to lower the risk of developing CVD in healthy individuals, but still offers no strong evidence of a tangible benefit on a population level. Additional studies are needed to determine the optimal daily intake, especially to prevent the unfavorable effects of PUFAs over-consumption.

A risk-benefit analysis of French high fish consumption: a QALY approach

The health risk and the nutritional benefit of a food are usually assessed separately. Toxicologists recommend limiting the consumption of certain fish because of methylmercury; while nutritionists recommend eating more oily fish because of omega 3. A common evaluation is imperative to provide coherent recommendations. In order to evaluate the risks along with the benefits related to fish consumption, a common metric based on the quality-adjusted life year (QALY) method has been used. The impact of a theoretical change from a medium n-3 PUFAs intake to a high intake is studied, in terms of the cardiovascular system (CHD mortality, stroke mortality and morbidity) and on fetal neuronal development (IQ loss or gain). This application can be considered as a sensitive analysis of the model used and looks at the impact of changing the dose-response relationships between cardiovascular diseases and n-3 PUFAs intakes. Results show that increasing fish consumption may have a beneficial impact on health. However, the confidence interval of the overall estimation has a negative lower bound, which means that this increase in fish consumption may have a negative impact due to MeHg contamination. Some limits of the QALY approach are identified. The first concerns determination of the dose-response relationships. The second concerns the economic origins of the approach and of individual preferences. Finally, since only one beneficial aspect and one risk element were studied, consideration should be given to how other beneficial and risk components may be integrated in the model.