Salad Dressings and Mayonnaise are Naturally Trans Fat Free
What are trans fats?
Trans fats are unsaturated fatty acids formed when vegetable oils are processed to make them more solid or more stable. This processing is called hydrogenation. Trans fats also occur naturally in low amounts in some foods.
Do salad dressings contain trans fat?
Trans fats are rarely found in salad dressings. Liquid vegetable oils that are not partially hydrogenated are a primary ingredient in salad dressings, such as soybean, canola, corn, olive, safflower and sunflower oils. Most liquid vegetable oils are naturally lower in saturated fats and are trans-fat free. Other ingredients used in salad dressings contribute only miniscule, if any, amounts of trans fats.
What foods contain trans fats?
Trans fats are present in variable amounts in a wide range of foods, including most foods made with partially hydrogenated oils, such as baked goods and fried foods, and some margarine products. Transfats also occur naturally in low amounts in certain meats and dairy products.
Why are trans fats in foods?
Trans fats form when an oil is partially hydrogenated. The process converts oils into a more stable liquid or semi-solid form. Partially hydrogenated oils are used in processed foods because they help produce high quality food products that stay fresh longer and have a more desirable texture. It is not always possible to substitute non-hydrogenated oils because of differences in the way the oils work to produce acceptable food products.
