Determination of fatty acid composition and total trans fatty acids of Turkish biscuits by capillary gas-liquid chromatography

In this research, fatty acid composition and total trans fatty acid contents of six types of biscuit produced by four different Turkish companies were determined by capillary gas-liquid chromatography. Total fat contents of the biscuit samples ranged between 8.5% and 26.0%. The highest fat content was determined in sesame biscuits (average 24.4%) and the lowest in petit beurre biscuits (average 13.5%). Total fat contents varied even for the same type of biscuit as a result of the use of different recipes by each company. The major fatty acids in the samples were C-16:0, C-18:0, trans C-18:1, C-18:1, trans C-18:2 and C-18:2. Depending on the biscuit type, total unsaturated fatty acid contents were between 52.1% and 72.8%. The ranges of total trans fatty acid contents in biscuit types were petit beurre 1.9-29.0%, sesame 15.0-23.1%, baby 3.0-30.5%, oat 17.6-22.4%, cocoa 1.5-22.9% and finger 1.0-24.7%. It is clear from the results that the percentage of trans fatty acids in the total fat content is significant because of the use of hydrogenated vegetable oils in biscuit production.