| Abstract: | Interesterified plastic fat products based on a) sal fat and groundnut oil (30: 70, w/w;P/S,0.8) (sal-GNO);b) vanaspati, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil and groundnut oil (40:60; P/S, 1.0; isolated trans fatty acid content 17%) (vanaspati-GNO);c) cottonseed oil (P/S, 1.5) (CSO) and d) sal fat and safflower oil (50:50, P/S, 1.3) (sal-saff) were prepared using dry sodium methoxide as the catalyst. The products had slip points of 33?34°C. These products, their original blends, safflower oil (P/S, 8.5) and a blend of vanaspati and safflower oil (50 : 50, P/S, 2.8 and isolated trans fatty acid content 22%) (vanaspati-saff) were tested for hypolipidaemic effect (serum total cholesterol, total lipids, triglycerides and phospholipids) in cholesterol-bile salt stressed rats. All the test fats having linoleic acid content varying from 21.9-76.6% and P/S ratio from 0.8 to 8.5 and fed at 10% level providing 23% calorie were found to be superior to vanaspati (P/S, 0.16, 3% linoleic, 43% isolated trans fatty acids). P/S ratio of 1.5 and linoleic content of 30% in fat were found to be optimum for maximum hypolipidaemic effect at above dietary regimen. Fat and cholesterol contents of liver of animals, fed test lipids were significantly lower than that of animals fed vanaspati. when linoleic acid content of the product was comparatively low (e.g. sal-GNO, 25%), the process of rearrangement reduced the cholesterol content of liver. With high linoleic acid content (CSO, 48.2% or sal-saff, 40.4%) interesterification was without any effect. Hypolipidaemic effect of interesterified products was similar to that observed with original materials. Thus, the above quality of a fat having characteristics within the above ranges does not depend upon the distribution of acyl groups in glyceride molecules. Isolated trans fatty acids behaved more or less like a saturated fatty acid in elevating serum lipids. Vanaspati was found to be highly hyperlipidaemic. |
