Fats and oils have long been associated with bad cholesterol, coronary heart disease and obesity. September is National Health Awareness month and with this in mind, Roxanne Rolando spoke to leaders in the oil industry concerning these perceptions, current research and innovations and the evolving market place.
Kalayana Sundram, from the Malaysian Palm Oil Council
The fats and oils issue is a complicated one. In my opinion, there is no such thing as junk food only junk diets. Palm oil has been equated with high cholesterol, coronary heart disease and obesity. Current research on palm oil seems to be proving otherwise. In first world countries the challenge is to keep fat low, in developing countries the challenge is in reverse. Cholesterol is not the issue – it is about providing enough energy!
Most people think palm oil is purely saturated fat. Palm oil is 50% unsaturated and 50% saturated fat. Human clinical trials have been conducted, replacing palm oil as the only dietary fat in their diets and it was predicted that it would behave like a saturated fat but the results showed that high cholesterol did not occur. Science is evolving. For 50 years the hypothesis has been that cholesterol is related to heart problems, but new research shows that there is not a direct link. In fact palm oil naturally increases good cholesterol, for which there is currently no drug available on the market.
Olive oil has been hailed the healthiest oil option, proven by the Mediterranean diet. This is because of the oleic acid in olive oil. Palm oil contains 45% oleic acid, so is basically the same composition as olive oil. The biggest issue in the fat world is that boogeyman trans-fatty acids. Legislation on removing trans-fatty acids from food is underway. Because of this, food technology issues will arise. How and with what will trans-fatty acids be replaced? The solution could be palm oil.
Abdul Razak Moosa, CEO of Willowton Oil,SA
We trade in an evolutionary market for which we have to continuously adapt to the needs of the trade and consumer. The marketplace is extremely volatile, causing prices to constantly fluctuate. The new labelling legislations have had a huge impact on us and we have had to implement packaging declaration changes and minor formulation changes. There are many regulations for health claims in the industry. Manufacturers are expected to be transparent with additives and must be able to substantiate claims with verified testing and medical back up. The Department of Health has set new requirements and prohibitions for Nutrient Content Claims which must be declared on a nutrition table. We have found that sunflower oil is high in polyunsaturated fats, free of trans fats and the saturated fat level is at an acceptable medium range. An even healthier option is Heart Mark approved canola oil which is high in monounsaturated fat and contains a balance of Omega 3 (ALA), Omega 6 and 9.
In line with global and local health initiatives for oils, fats and frying mediums met all of the trans-fat and frying mediums we have met all of the trans-fat and lowering of saturated fat for supply of oils and shortening to our partners.
Dev Moodley, international marketing manager, Antioxidants Aromas and Fine Chemicals (AAFC), SA
Today, almost all processed food contains fats and oils. The problem with this is that fats and oils are prone to oxidation when they are exposed to heat, light and atmospheric oxygen and that is why antioxidants are necessary. We realise the health perceptions surrounding antioxidants, but antioxidants are applied in very small quantities. Dosages typically vary between 100 – 200 ppm based on the fat component of the processed food. Most processed food has around 10% oil or fat content. Doing the maths, it would certainly be a surprise to realise that 1kg of an antioxidant can be used to produce 100 tons of food. In many instances, an antioxidant can improve shelf life of foods by more than 300%.
Whilst SA has quite a well-defined food safety standard, with food specifications similar to those in Europe and USA there is very little policing and monitoring. A typical example of this is in the bottled oil industry – whilst there are specific limits on free fatty acids and peroxide value, AAFC assessed different brands of oils on the supermarket shelf and found that very few of the brands comply, with some being totally non-compliant to regulations. In SA, food additives have always been shown on the labels, and the food labelling regulations have not changed in this regard. However, instead of the chemical names of additives, the food E-numbers should now be used.
In today’s modern world, ‘natural’ is purely a romantic idea. Anything processed can never be called natural.
Natural antioxidants such as Tocopherol and plant extracts such as rosemary may improve shelf life, but they can hardly be considered safer than chemical antioxidants, as even some naturally derived products can be unhealthy. Plant extracts that may have antioxidant properties are very costly to produce and are relatively weak antioxidants. Besides the limited availability of plant extracts, the cost is prohibitively high compared to the chemical types, and most consumers are unwilling to pay higher prices for foods with natural additives compared to standard food products.
Approval in a heart beat
Abdul Razak Moosa: ‘Organisations interested in receiving Heart Foundation approval are required to complete and submit a highly confidential application form. Successful applicants will be required to enter into a formal licensing agreement with the HSFSA. The term of the agreement shall be for 12 months, with the option to renew for a further term, subject to all products undergoing re-analysis at any time. Licensees will be assigned the non-exclusive rights to the Heart Mark for use on accepted products and all related marketing activities.’
Dev Moodley: ‘Mostly, the Heart Foundation requires that the oil has little or no cholesterol. Technically, plants do not produce cholesterol but other sterols that are analogues. Most oil producers seeking Heart Foundation approval refine the oils removing as much sterols as possible. Highly refined oils are much more reactive to oxygen, and needs to be stabilised. Some oil producers may compensate by adding vitamin E (antioxidant), or other antioxidants.’
