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Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Measuring Oral Fatty Acid Thresholds, Fat Perception, Fatty Food Liking, and Papillae Density in Humans
Published on: June 4, 2014
Trend changes in use and current intakes of tropical oils in the United States
1Division of Nutrition, US Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C.
Abstract:
To evaluate the need for and potential public health impact of selective labeling of foods containing tropical oils (TOs), we examined trend changes in use of TOs in the United States from 1963 to 1985 and estimated current intakes of total fat (FI) and saturated fatty acids (SFAI) attributable to TOs. Although world production of TO has increased rapidly since 1970, use in the United States has not followed the world trend. A large portion of TOs in the United States was used in nonfood products. Estimates of current intake of TOs by selected US population groups revealed only minor contribution of TOs to the daily FI and SFAI in the United States. In 1985 the most reasonable estimate of the average FI from all three TOs represented less than 4% of total daily FI or less than 2% of daily energy intake. Three TOs combined contributed less than or equal to 8% to the daily SFAI of the three sex and/or age groups examined.
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