Awareness on Trans fats among selected Food Service Operators
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Date
2013
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Abstract
In recent years, there has been a marked increase in the rates o f obesity in countries such as India. This is attributed to
unhealthy lifestyle practices associated with intake o f foods higher in fat and refined carbohydrates. Food options, choices
and eating behaviours are influenced by a complex number o f factors including the nationality, culture, community, family
and the individual’s food likes and dislikes and are affected by global attributes. Industrially produced transfats are formed
during partial hydrogenation and could be as high as 50 to 60 per cent o f total fat content. Growing concerns are about the
potential health effects of trans fatty acids particularly those derived from vanaspathi, margarine, desi ghee and butter.
Commercially fried, processed ready to eat bakery foods are potential source of transfats. Hence the study was undertaken
with the objective to assess the awareness on trans fat among the food service operators and to standardise the trans fat free
recipes to be used at food service operations. A total o f four commercial food service operations were selected at
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu by Judgement sampling. The selected food service operations were observed at various functional
areas namely purchasing, receiving, storage, preparation and service areas with a checklist to elicit details from the selected
food service operations. The ten commonly consumed and most preferred foods by the customers with trans fa t like donuts,
biscuits, pastries, chocolate, cakes, french fries, fried chicken, cookies and potato chips were chosen and the procedure
adopted for production were studied. And these recipes were reformulated to make trans fat free recipes. All the recipes were
standardised using olive oil instead of vanaspathi, margarine or butter. These products were standardised and was
statistically interpreted using the't’ test to find the difference in the nutritive value for energy and fat o f the recipes. The
recipes on making trans fa t free showed a positive significance revealing the reduced energy and fa t content. With
mushrooming of food service operations and increased eating out pattern, it will be a mutual benefit to the food service
operators and the customers in promotion of quality living.