Recent research indicates that the fat content of food should be optimised, and certainly not minimised, to counteract various lifestyle diseases among the population.
Saturated versus unsaturated fat
Fat can be divided into saturated and unsaturated fat. Saturated fat comes primarily from animal products such as butter, cream and meat. Unsaturated fat comes primarily from fish and vegetable products such as plant oils and nuts. A balanced diet should always contain a certain amount of fat and unsaturated fat is a healthier type than saturated.
At Nofima Mat we have competence in reviewing and creating products with a healthier fat profile. Unfortunately food with a healthier fat profile is more liable to rancidity (oxidation). This is because the healthy polyunsaturated fat is unstable and reacts, in the presence of oxygen, with substances that give undesirable tastes and smells and therefore affect the quality of the product. The more damaging saturated fatty acids are not reactive in this way. As a rule of thumb, the healthier a fat is, the more reactive it is.
Essential versus non-essential fatty acids
Normally plant oils contain more polyunsaturated fatty acids than does animal fat. Many nutritional experts therefore believe that plant oils are to be preferred. Soya oil and rapeseed oil for example contain the essential fatty acids linoleic acid (Omega-6) and linolenic acid (Omega-3). Since the body cannot produce essential fatty acids itself, we must take them from what we eat. Long chain Omega-3 fatty acids on the other hand are non-essential, i.e. the body is able to produce them from linolenic acid. This conversion is rather long winded however, so it is a good idea to ingest a good portion of fish fatty acids in the diet.
Nofima Mat is an important partner for the food industry in the work of removing as many of the harmful fatty acids from food products as possible, and replacing them with beneficial fatty acids, through the right choice of fat source. We have extensive competence in fats, in terms of effects on health, taste and shelf life (oxidation).
