The Move To Healthy Oils Partially hydrogenated oils, commonly used in the manufacturing of food and for frying, are the primary source of trans fats in the diet. They are created when oils, naturally liquid at room temperature, are hydrogenated (see trans fats section). Hydrogenation is an industrial process that increases the stability of oils so they will not become rancid or break down under high temperatures and thereby last longer. Unfortunately, trans fats negatively affect health so there are wide-sweeping efforts in the foodservice industry to eliminate them.

All of these efforts hinge on the availability of alternative oils that deliver the same flavor, texture and function as partially hydrogenated oils without the need for hydrogenation. The good news is there are a growing number of stable trans-fat free oils available for food manufacturers and foodservice operators to choose from. Farmers are increasingly growing oil crops from seeds selectively bred or modified to produce oils that are naturally more stable and do not require hydrogenation.

Another trend increasing the trans-fat free choices available to operators is the blending of different trans fat free oils to achieve the enhanced stability needed for high temperature cooking and frying. Corn, Soybean, sunflower, canola, cottonseed, rice, peanut, coconut and palm oils are being used to make these new trans-fat free Oil Blends.

Many manufacturers and operators have already achieved success removing trans fats from their food offerings, but finding the best alternative often involves extensive testing to confirm the trans-fat free oil meets cooking performance standards and provides the flavor and texture experience customers expect

Alternate Processing Methods

New methods for extracting oil without trans fat formation are being developed. Here are two examples:

	Expeller Press - This method extracts the oil from the seeds without the use of chemicals and high temperatures to avoid the production of trans fats. One brand is Nexsoy.
	Interesterification - This process uses an enzyme or other catalyst to rearrange the fatty acid portion of the oils to prevent the production of trans fats. These are mostly used to produce healthier solid fats for baking. Some brands are Enova and Novalipid.

Selective Seed Breeding and Gene Modification

Much is being done by seed companies to affect the oil produced by oil crops so that it will be more stable without hydrogenation. Here are two examples:

	Soybean oil and canola oil are now available with reduced linolenic acid content (1-3% vs. 4-8%). The oil crops from which they come are grown from seeds that contain lower levels of linolenic acid, the component in oil primarily responsible for making it prone to spoilage. Some low linolenic acid brands are Asoyia, Vistive and Treus.
	Canola, sunflower and safflower oil are now available with an increased amount of oleic acid (60-90 % vs. 20-30 %), a component in oil making it more resistant to spoilage. Some mid and high oleic acid oils are NuSun , and Nutra-Clear NT.

Oil Blends

Oil manufacturers are offering unique blends of specially formulated oils with zero grams trans fat per serving. Some brands include Mazola ZT (a corn/ sunflower blend), Smart Choice (a cottonseed/canola blend) and Amaizing NT (a high oleic canola/corn blend).