Type of foods high in trans fats

Why does your favorite potatoes and fried chicken from restaurant feels more delicous and crispy than you cook by yourself at home? The answer probably is trans fats. It contribute to foods texture, better taste and give you high energy, but it is not good for heart health. It can also raise cholesterol levels, exacerbating inflammation, reduce levels of good cholesterol that prevent heart disease and cancer risk. So what is type of foods high in trans fats ?

Instant cake mix
It is certainly easier to make cookies with instant cake mix. But it's better if you make the cake from begining to the finished cake to ensure you have served the healthy kind of foods for your family.
French fries
Who does not like french fries. Its delicious taste that will make anyone want to eat it more. However, unfortunately the fries contain trans fats which come from the frying.
Fried foods
Just like french fries, you never really know what oil is used to fry it. And it should be avoided if you are not sure of the materials used. Then, frying with used oil or using the same oil for frying repeatedly may be also bad for your health.
Frozen cakes and pies
Baked products that you buy from stores, especially those that can be stored for a long time, may contain this kind of material. Frozen cakes and pies are often a source of type of foods high in trans fats you should avoid.
Donuts
Without that ingredient, donuts will be very oily. In order to create softer texture, snacks such as cake, donuts, and cookies using it.
Pop corn
Popcorn sold in movie theaters may contain these ingredients. To keep the taste, the use of margarine may be substituted with butter.
Coffee creamer
Creams contained in many snacks and beverages, such as coffee, are trans fats.
Biscuits (crackers)
Most crackers use this product, which can be replaced with soy or canola oil to make it safe.
Foods and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that they will restrict or prohibit trans fats significantly from foods in the U.S. This agency decided that it was not safe for human health, and should not be in the foods we eat. In 1999, the FDA first proposed that manufacturers should disclose the content of trans fats on nutrition labels, but it did not become a requirement until 2006. Many of the companies have gotten removed it from their products, and New York City even ban trans fats from restaurant foods in 2006. But, according to the FDA, there are type of foods high in trans fats, such as donuts, biscuits crackers, popcorn, frozen pizza, coffee creamer, frozen dough products as well as canned products. It is a real challenge for the industry and scientists.

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How to reduce fat

How to reduce fat is a common question for them whom tend to pay attention to their own appearance, especially women. It tends to lead to an unattractive appearance. But we can not eliminate then on just one particular part of our body, except with liposuction. Liposuction is done by a lot of people who want to lose fat, especially belly ones, quickly and instantaneously. This method is only recommended for certain patient. The doctors usually only recommend liposuction for patients with severe obesity and fat while exercising is hard to remove it completely. This usually occurs in certain hormonal conditions.
How to reduce fat in body using natural food is the next question. The use of fat buster in certain body parts with synthetic drugs- such as advertised one- and is not good and not useful. If you are more interested in using natural ingredients to help you get your ideal weight, you could put turmeric or chilli in your diet. Chilli helps you to slow down your appetite.
Fat in our can be burned with aerobic activities, such as jogging, walking, gymnastics, or swimming. You can perform these while listening to music, through the parks or place which is fun and special for you so you do not feel bored while doing it.
To keep the heart healthy, get enough exercise 3-5 times per week with a duration of 20-30 minutes. You should choose the type of exercise that you can do it with a regular rhythm such as jogging or walking regularly. Change from slow to fast movements suddenly as the movement which is often done in a game sports such as soccer or badminton should be avoided, especially for those who are not young anymore or have a heart disease record. Although you're eager to practice the tips on how to reduce fat but you must remember that excessive exercise makes us tired, disturbed sleep, easily hurt, and cause heart problems.
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How to store cooking oil properly

How to store cooking oil properly is as follows. It should be kept in a dark-colored packaging. It is intended to avoid rancidity, because of oxidation due to contact with air and is triggered by ultraviolet in the sunray. Recently, it is sold in the market in transparent or translucent-colored package. It aims to be easily visible. In addition, the consumer preference to its packaging is transparent. Yet this preference is not appropriate because it can be easily oxidized, so it becomes rancid. Store cooking oil properly in sealed containers and away from heat sources such as light, stove, and the sun! The bad habit to put it near a heat source will cause fortified vitamin A will be reduced even in very small amounts. Vitamin A contained will be damaged because vitamin A is one of micro substances which is sensitive to acid and oxidation when exposed to direct sunlight, and easily damaged by heat. So, the key to store cooking oil properly is keep it away from the factors inducing its deterioration, such as UV, heat, air, and even metals.

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Bad fat in fast food

Even Greyson Chance rumored to be visiting Jakarta, Indonesia, likes fast food (FF). But did you ever think that fast food contains bad fat ? Dr. Ratna Djuwita from the Faculty of Public Health University of Indonesia said that in modern times, people still eat bad fat from unhealthy option like FF. She obtained this opinion from the results of her study on nutrients of four Indonesia ethnic: Minang Kabau, Sundanese, Javanese and Bugis. She added that their intake is sufficient in quantity, but the quality is not good.
That opinion was indirectly supported by researcher from Harvard University, Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian. But he also said that some of the leading restaurants managed to reduce the bad fat in fast food production in the United States, in order to reduce the risk of being overweight or obese to the consumer. He added that some of the restaurants succeeded in reducing the trans fat (TF) content and saturated fat (SF) content in their product to the safe limit established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or FDA to zero grams (TF) while the SF content up to 2 to 8 grams. However, there are still many restaurants not meet health requirements from the rules set by MOH of Uncle Sam. Although no direct chemical testing, Research Center for the Public Interest CSPI says the research is based on the nutrition label are listed in 85 major industrial products are submitted to the FDA.
There are several reasons why you should reduce the consumption of fast food.
1. It contains ingredients that give the delicious sensation (such as bad fat and sugar) so that you hooked and stimulate you to continue to eat as often as possible. This sometimes makes you eat them regularly every day. Avoid this by changing your eat habits with healthier stuff, like fruits and vegetables fresh.
2. If you like eating them and rarely exercise, then in a few weeks your body will experience weight gain which is not healthy. The bad fat in fast food are then stored and accumulate in your body.
3. Salt can make your menu much more enjoyable. Almost all FF contain high salt. Salt contains sodium. When the level of sodium in the blood is high and cannot be removed by the kidneys, blood volume increases because sodium tends to attract and retain water. This increase causes your heart to work harder to drain the blood throughout the body that causes high blood pressure.
Dr. Ratna suggest that from the consumption of total fat, SF should be no more than 10 percent, and 20 percent unsaturated consisting of 60-10 percent PUFA and 10 percent MUFA.

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How to choose healthy cooking oil

How to choose healthy cooking oil is generally an important consideration for the good housewives as they would fry food for their family. Frying is a food processing using a very high temperature with the aid of oil as the heat transfer medium. But because a small portion of them was absorbed by the fried food, then it should be good quality as this can affect the flavor (taste, flavor, and aroma) of fried foods.
Unethical advertising fool the consumers
The lack of knowledge of the housewives about cooking oil can result in disadvantages. Their consideration usually based on advertising or promotion by the manufacturer. Whereas in promoting their products, manufacturers often violate norms and business ethics. Coconut oil, used to be, is the only cooking oil that is used in Indonesia but is now being pressured by the market for palm oil. It contains saturated fatty acids (SFA) in high quantities so often 'accused' as the source of coronary heart disease.
Now, on the market many cooking oil made from raw materials such as coconut, palm, soybean, corn, and sunflower seed oil. Even some of that were a mixture of two kinds of the oil. In addition, there are also palm cooking oil which come from different manufacturing process than other vegetable oils. The first product is known as the product from single fractionation while the second from the double fractionation.
Through the heating and pressing, from palm fruit will be obtained crude palm oil (CPO) which is reddish orange because they contain beta-carotene (about 400-700 ppm). It is composed of two fractions: namely solid fraction (stearin) and liquid fraction (olein). To become a cooking oil, CPO is undergoing the first refining process, namely neutralization, washing, decolorization (bleaching), and odor removal (deodorization) to obtain refined bleached deodorized palm oil (RBDPO). The second refining is the fractionation process which is often also referred as the screening. It will separate the solid from the liquid by lowering the oil temperature (to 20 degrees Celsius) and then filtered the solid part.
The solid product contained in the liquid is known as the solid fat content (SFC). Palm oil obtained from a single fractionation process at a temperature of 10 degrees Celsius contains about 15-20% SFC, while those obtained from the double process only contains about 0-5% SFC. Double fractionated palm oil will always be liquid at low temperatures because the content of SFC was also low. While the single fractionated palm oil will freeze when soaked in ice water because the content was higher SFC. In other words, the content of unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) of double fractionated product is higher than the other one. This is then associated with the state of the oil (fat) in the body. It means if the oil (from the single process) is frozen in the ice water so it will also be frozen in the human body. Though the body temperature is about 37 celcius degrees and quiet different with the ice or refrigeration temperature. Of course this kind of advertising or promotion certainly fool consumers. Cooking oil was changed into solid phase when it is stored in the refrigerated room so that it would appear whitish. It does not mean that there were deterioration on their quality but because its SFA content is relatively high so it freezes faster than the product contains more UFA.
There are sometime cooking oil manufacturers who claim that their products do not contain cholesterol. This is completely misleading because all kinds of cooking oils derived from plant materials, does not contain cholesterol.
Oil saturation affects the health ?
People often consider the saturated fatty acid levels in the oil when they ask how to choose healthy cooking oil. Does that thought have strong support? Indeed, too much when we question its fatty acids composition. For example, certain cooking oils containing UFA are claimed to be better than oils containing SFA.
First, the amount of oil contained in fried foods is relatively small (except for the pan-fried food) and secondly, during the frying, UFA will be broken down due to high temperature during the frying (about 150-180 degrees Celsius). So that the amount of UFA are expected to be consumed, actually very little.
Coronary heart disease is not only due to the ingestion of SFA. Many other factors must be considered. It has been scientifically proven, the palm oil consumption, although it contain relatively high SFA, does not cause atherosclerosis (clogged arteries) and coronary heart disease. This is because its SFA containing medium carbon chain (unlike animal fat) in the body so it is more widely used as an energy source and does not raise cholesterol levels (LDL) in blood.
Excessive consumption of unsaturated fatty acids would endanger the health because it can form more radical compounds in the body. Something that can damage cells and tissues.
A study proves, the unsaturated fatty acids consumption will increase the chances of excessive destruction of blood vessels due to atherosclerosis by radical compounds. The experts always recommend the use of high UFA must be accompanied by a high consumption of vitamin E as well. Cardiologists Medical Association in U.S. recommends that consumption of oil / fat is limited to about 30% of total calories consumed (approximately 90-100 g of oil / fat per day). Oils / fats should consist of 10% SFA, 10% monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and 10% poly unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). This statement clearly indicates, the consumption of SFA are allowed in reasonable quantities. Especially if the source is only from of fried food.
Indeed there is scientific evidence that UFA can lower cholesterol levels and can prevent the atherosclerosis onset and coronary heart disease, but the oil must be consumed in a crude state. Not as cooking oil, such as salad oil (salad oil).
Other tips
How to choose healthy cooking oil can also be done simply. First, see the clarity and second, whether its smell is rancid or not. A good one is clear and no smell rancid.

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Tips to reduce acrylamide formation in snack and tips to reduce trans fatty acid

Here are some tips that can be used to reduce formation of acrylamide in products including snack product:
• Use ingredient to prevent the reaction between asparagine and reducing sugars.
• Change the asparagine into other forms, such as aspartic acid, by using enzymes.
• Modification of processes, mainly related to temperature, time, and pH.
• Less / replace the use of raw materials / ingredient containing asparagine and / or a reducing sugar.
World snack industry grow quite rapidly. Innovation and high market demand is the key to why the product is still evolving. In fact, excessive snack consumption is often regarded as a cause of some health problems. For example, obesity, trans fatty acids, acrylamide, and so on.
The condition is exactly what later became a trend in the development of new products. Many industries are then trying to change the image by designing a healthy snack snack. It feels easier, because the food industry also received support from ingredient industry, machinery and other supporting industries. Some snack products that offer health effects of reducing agent, which is an important stage of the formation of acrylamide.
In addition, the use of amino acids are also widely studied. For example proline amino acids commonly found in flour that also could reduce acrylamide formation by 80%. The same is true of several other amino acids, namely tryptophan, cysteine, and glycine, although the level of effectiveness varies.
Meanwhile, researchers from China in a report published by the Journal of Food Chemistry reported that vitamin B3, can also be used to inhibit the formation of acrylamide in french fries by 50%. In that study, Zeng et al. (2009) actually use different types of vitamins, both water-soluble or water insoluble. However, vitamin B3 has the best effectiveness.
Tips to reduce trans fatty acids
Trans fatty acids are formed through partial hydrogenation process and its existence becomes a very important issue in recent years. It is not because the presence of trans fatty acids can lead to greater levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood and the risk of heart disease. So it is not strange if the USFDA requires to include the presence of these fatty acids in the label.
In the snack industry, the presence of trans fatty acids derived from fats and oils are used, especially the shortening and margarine. Actually, the increasing awareness of trans fatty acids is a separate chance for the national oil industry, because the palm oil contains no trans fatty acids.
Research conducted by Byung Hee Kim et al (2009) from the University of Georgia says, that interesterification of a mixture from canola oil, palm stearin and palm kernel oil with a certain ratio can produce a margarine with the same quality as commercial margarine. As for the shortening, a mixture of palm stearin and palm oil can produce a fat that is plastic that can be used as shortening. Jeyarani et al. (2009) in a report published by the Journal of Food Chemistry stated that a mixture containing 60-70% palm stearin palm stearin and 30-40% have a wider melting range, making it suitable to be used as a shortening.

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Acrylamide: brain cancer and how to inhibit its formation?

As already known, several studies have shown that acrylamide is formed in the Mailard reaction, is carsinogenic. However, several epidemiological studies indicate exposure to acrylamide in food products is still too low to worry about. But, however the industry has been doing a lot of prevention, such as by resetting the temperature of the process used. Acrylamide is a carcinogenic compound formed by reaction between sugars and amino acid asparagine at the time of heating. Formation through the Maillard reaction is also responsible for the formation of brown color and flavor to various food products. Acrylamide issue has indeed been a lot of attention.


Acrylamide is not associated with brain cancer?
A study conducted by Maastricht University in the Netherlands concluded that the content of acrylamide in food products has no relationship with an increased risk of brain cancer. Research involving 58,279 men and 62,537 women was conducted considering the acrylamide found in many diet of Dutch society, in a certain level. The study was conducted by distributing questionnaires to estimate the amount of acrylamide consumed. Acrylamide sources were estimated coming from potato crisps, French fries, Dutch spiced cake, coffee, bread, and cookies. The result, after research during several years, obtained 216 respondents were diagnosed with brain cancer. But according to the researchers, it has no relationship with increased intake of acrylamide. The study still needs confirmation from other studies.

Inhibition of acrylamide formation
There are several methods that have been used to avoid the formation of such compounds, including the process modification through temperature regulation. Recently, a new way to inhibit the formation of acrylamide has been found, namely the use of calcium lactate based ingridient. Several companies are developing products that were claimed to reduce acrylamide in snacks to 80% without affecting taste and crispiness. Calcium is present in the ingredients are claimed to interfere with the reaction between reducing sugars and asparagine which is the key to the formation of acrylamide. This product can be widely applied, because it does not require modification of process or temperature. Not even affected by variations in pH or moisture content.

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Acrylamide in the food product

The consumption of fried food products or usually called as fried foods, seems to be need to limited. The research result of Eden Tareke, and friends from the University of Stockholm, Sweden showed that the food that rich of carbohydrate, like potatoes (especially those who came from the fast food restaurant, in this case potato chips and french fries) can trigger the formation of acrylamide, that can be a potential formation of the cancer (carcinogenic). The massive concentration of acrylamide in the fried food, from the highest is potato chips, French fries, and grilled food like cereal, bread.

The Effect and The Limitation
Acrylamide can destroy DNA that functions as a genetic material, nerve material, causing tumor, decreasing the level of fertility, and causing the fall prematurely of the mice used in this research. The maximum dosage of acrylamide that also known as 2-preponamide is 0, 5 µg/L, according to the people of Europe and the united nation’s world health organization (WHO), Acrylamide actually can be absorbed by the digestion system and turned out from the body through urine in several hours after the consumption if it is not more than the maximum level.

The Formation of Acrylamide
Generally speaking, the mechanism of the formation of acrylamide are happened n three ways:
1. Formed from the acrolein or acrilate acid resulted from the degradation of carbohydrate, fat, or free amino acid, like alanin, asparagin, and metionin that have a similarity in the structure of acrylamide.
2. Formed directly from the amino acid.
3. Formed from the dehydration or decarboxilation of some certain organic acids like lactate acid, malat acid, and citrate acid.
The amino acid asparagin is the amino acid that has the most important role in the formation of acrylamide, it is easy to react to sugar. In potato, asparain is as much as 40% of amino acid, in the cooking temperature of 1000C is enough to produce acrylamide.

The Solution Alternative
Although, the research result of Eden Tereke and friends also gives information that acrylamide is only exist in a small amount in the food materials that do not fried. or grilled. Even, based on the other research, that kind of compound is not exist in the raw, steamed or boiled food. It is assumed, in the relative extreme heat (for example 1900C or in the boiled oil), the carbohydrate compound (for example in the potato, wheat) can be release, then react with the amino acid in the protein. Because of this, the maximize of the food process include high temperature, for example in the deep frying, baking, grilling and broiling need to be done, it is because the higher the temperature and the longer the time for heating, the most significant effect to the amount of the acrylamide formation.
So, the consumption of carbohydrate-rich food that fried actually do not need to be scared if the heat when it is fried is not too extreme and the oil is not used all over and over again. We also need to keep the balance of our eating habit, we also need to consume vegetables and fruits.

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Tips: How to minimize bad effect of acrylamide in fried food ?

1.Keep a balanced food combination, such as consuming vegetables and fruits.
2.Consume natural food containing high level antioxidants proportionally.
3.Do not over-fry your food (such as too long time, fry it many times, or the temperature is too high). Tips: First, set the oils at a temperature needed, and then use it to fry your food , so your food do not take too long time at the hot pan and only a little part of the oil were absorbed to the food products.
4.Avoid using too much oil in a frying pan.

5.Avoid using oil that had been used at too high temperature, and many times of uses (It is suggested that you should not use your oil more than three times for frying).
6.Make sure that there is no detergent or soap left in the frying pan, because they can accelerate deterioration due to oil trapped in air bubbles formed by detergent or soap in the oil.
7.Reduce moisture content of your food before you fry it, so there are not much water in the products that can accelerate the decomposition of fat/ oil through hydrolysis of fat/ oil.
8.Cook (steam or boil) first your food that needs a long time of frying.


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