Margarines and shortenings from the Saudi Arabia market were analyzed for their fatty acid composition including trans fatty acids by gas chromatography. The saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids within the investigated margarines and shortenings were found to be in the range of 19.8-29.3%, 27.0-30.2%, 37.6-43.9% and 25.9-50.2%, 28.4-41.4%, 10.6-29.8% respectively. Trans fatty acids (TFAs) in margarines and shortenings were found to be in the range of 0.2-8.3% and 0.9-20.6% respectively. The mean of the sum of lauric acid (C12:0), myristic acid (C14:0) and palmitic acid (C16:0) fatty acids in margarines and shortenings were found to be 19.15±6.57%.and 25.15±12.79% respectively. From the results of this study it has been found that the highest concentrations of TFAs were found in the sample containing least amount of linoleic acid and the lowest concentration of TFAs were found in the sample containing highest amount of linoleic acid. Higher trans contents were observed in shortenings compared to margarines. In various studies, TFAs in the high levels in the diet have repeatedly been shown to affect serum lipids/lipoproteins unfavorably and increased the risk of coronary heart diseases.
