Abstract

CASTRO-BOLANOS, Monserrat; HERRERA-RAMIREZ, Carlos H  and  LUTZ-CRUZ, Giselle. Composición, caracterización y potencial aterogénico de aceites, grasas y otros derivados producidos o comercializados en Costa Rica. Acta méd. costarric [online]. 2005, vol.47, n.1, pp.36-42. ISSN 0001-6002.

Cardiovascular deseases are very common among Costa Rican people. They are related to diets high in lipids that cause arterial damage. The present study was under-taken to determine the quality of fats and oils consumed more frequently in our country. 15 different brands of butter and margarines (A, B, D1 a D11), 7 types of vegetable fat (E1 a E7) and 14 different brands of sun-flower oil (EG1 a EG3), corn oil (EM1 a EM3), olive oil (EO1 a EO4), soy oil (ES1 a ES3) and palm oil (EV) (Fig. 1) were collected and identified 67 percent of the products were made in Costa Rica, 33% were imported products. Using gas chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques, fatty acid composition, iodine and saponification number, average molecular weight, carbon-carbon double bond number, allylic and double allylic hydrogens were determined in the lipid fraction of the 36 different products. Two types of butter and one type of oil were found adulterated with triacylglycerols of different kind or source. Susceptibility of the products to lipid oxidation was determined only in terms of double bond number and allylic and double allylic hydrogens. Sunflower, corn and olive oils were the most susceptible products. Through polyunsaturated fatty acids / saturated fatty acids relation and atherogenic index the atherogenic potencial of the products was evaluated. The findings were that 2 types of butter and 5 types of vegetable fat were the most injurious ones.

Keywords : Caracterización de grasas y aceites; aterogénico.