The content of fatty acids (FA) of 12 margarine brands produced with partially hydrogenated or interesterified vegetable oils marketed in Federal District was analyzed. The margarines were grouped into four groups by the type of oils used in their production and by the average percentage of lipids: GH-T (hydrogenated margarines with 50% lipids), GH-L (hydrogenated with 20%), GI-T (interesterified with 65%) and GI-L (interesterified with 30%). The fatty acid profile was obtained by gas chromatography in a SP2560® capillary column. The content of trans fatty acids (TFA) in GH-T (7.91 ± 1.05 g.100 g-1) was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than in GH-L (2.46 ± 0.39 g.100 g-1), GI-T (1.29 ± 0.47 g.100 g-1) and GI-L (0.65 ± 0.24 g.100 g-1). There was a significant difference in the total content of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and in the unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) among the groups GH-T and GI-T, being higher in GI-T, followed by GH-T and with no significant difference between GH-L and GI-L. The ΣPUFA/ ΣSFA ratios of the margarines were unchanged among the groups, while the ΣPUFA/ ΣTFA ratios in the GI-T and GI-L groups were higher than in the others. The results suggest that GI-L and GI-T margarines would be more appropriate for human intake due to lower content of TFA and higher PUFA/TFA ratio than the others.
fatty acids; trans isomers; margarines; hydrogenation; interesterification; labeling
