GC-MS quantification of fatty acid profile including trans FA in the locally manufactured margarines of Pakistan

Ten margarine brands of Pakistan were analyzed for their fatty acid composition with emphasis on trans fatty acids (TFA) using GC-MS. Saturated, cis-monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids were present at 24.2–58.1, 5.7–35.4 and 3.8–37.4% of total fatty acids, respectively. Among the saturated fatty acids, palmitic acid (16.9–33.8%) was dominant in all analyzed margarine brands and its higher amount indicates that palm oil was a major contributor in the margarine manufacturing. Among samples tested only one contained a low level of TFA (2.2%) while the rest contained very high amounts of TFA (11.5–34.8%) which clearly shows that hydrogenated oils were used in the formulation of margarines. Fatty acid profiles demonstrated that all samples belong to the hard margarine category containing high amounts of trans and saturated fatty acids which is an alarming issue for the health of consumers.