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ABSTRACT: Low linolenic acid soybean oil (LLSO) has been developed as a substitute for hydrogenated soybean oil to reduce intake of trans FA while improving stability and functionality in processed foods. We assessed the dietary impact of substitution of LLSO for hydrogenated soybean oil (HSBO) used in several food categories. All substitutions were done using an assumption of 100% market penetration. The impact of this substitution on the intake of five FA and trans FA was assessed. Substitution of LLSO for current versions of HSBO resulted in a 45% decrease in intake of trans FA. Impacts on other FA intakes were within the realm of typical dietary intakes. No decrease in intake of α-linolenic acid was associated with the use of LLSO in place of HSBO because LLSO substitutes for HSBO that are already low in α-linolenic acid.
Paper no. L9868 in Lipids 41, 149-157 (February 2006).
Abbreviations: CSFII, Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals; H-LLSO, hydrogenated low linolenic acid soybean oil; HSBO, hydrogenated soybean oil; LLSO, low linolenic acid soybean oil.
As of January 2006, food manufacturers in the United States are required to comply with a new Food and Drug Administration regulation to label products with their trans FA content in the Nutrition Facts panel (1). This new regulation responds to the recognition among scientists that trans FA have unfavorable effects on blood cholesterol levels and thus increase the risk for coronary heart disease (2). The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that consumers keep their intakes of trans FA as low as possible (3). Food manufacturers have already begun to respond by reformulating foods that contain hydrogenated vegetable oils, the main source of trans FA in the diet, to contain other oils with lower or no trans FA.
Using traditional breeding methods, developers have created a new variety of soybean that produces oil with a reduced level of α-linolenic acid (18:3n-3). Such soybean oil requires less or no hydrogenation to be used in many processed foods, thus providing opportunities for consumers to reduce their intakes of trans FA. It is possible that using this new soybean oil to reformulate foods could result in changes in the intake of other FA. The purpose of this study was to estimate the...