Trans fatty acids in margarines and shortenings marketed in Austria

Margarines and shortenings available in Austria were repeatedly sampled in 1991/1992 and the content of trans fatty acids (TFA) determined by using capillary GLC. Wide variations of the TFA contents with respect to intra- and inter-brand differences were observed. Diet margarines contained up to 1% TFA, while TFA concentrations in tub or stick margarines were much higher (15.7 +/- 5.8% and 21.3 +/- 5.3%, respectively). A sub-set of samples was also purchased in 1995 and a general reduction of the TFA content was noticed. Taking into account different market shares of certain margarine types, a weighted average of 15.7% TFA and 6.5% TFA was calculated for the 1991/1992 and the 1995 samples. Based on availability data the amount of TFA supplied with margarines was estimated to be 3.7 g per person per day, while a more accurate method of measuring dietary intakes, i.e. diet history and food frequency data, approximates the amount of TFA supplied with margarines to be 1.5 g per person per day for the 1991/1992 samples and 0.6 g for the 1995 samples.