Scientists explore fat composition altering

07/12/05 Top scientists will meet in Munich on Friday 9th December 2005, to explore whether the food industry can help in the battle against the metabolic syndrome by altering the composition of fats in every-day foods. The metabolic syndrome is directly linked with increased risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.Because of the increasing number of people developing the metabolic syndrome, nutrition scientists and food technologists are looking for innovative ways to reduce the risk of people developing this serious disease.

Altering the composition of fats in commonly consumed foods is one option that is being explored, as the workshop held in association with the EU funded Lipgene project* will illustrate. Tailored to those small and medium sized enterprises involved in food science technology and manufacture, the workshop will present findings from ongoing research on modifying the fat composition of milk, meat, and plant oils. In particular, methods to modify the proportions of saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and the amount of trans fatty acids in foods destined for human consumption have been considered.

Although some of the science in this area is still in its infancy, the economic feasibility of this approach to reduce the risk of developing the metabolic syndrome has been explored by economists as part of the Lipgene* project. Dr James Fry, researcher involved with the project said “The challenge for the supply of foods with healthy lipid profiles is one of over-coming the cost barriers associated with separate supply chains and lack of scale." Findings of his research will also be presented at the workshop. Foods with an altered fatty acid composition have the potential to play an invaluable role in the battle against the rising tide of the metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, without consumers having to make major changes to their dietary habits. The consumer acceptability of this approach is also being considered at the workshop, and is being explored in detail as part of the Lipgene project*.