Analysis of Fatty Acid Composition in Chicken Fast Foods of Dhaka City

Fatty acid composition in chicken fast food was analyzed by attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy and gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Saturated fatty acids (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) have been found in various amounts in the fast food samples. None of the fast food samples contain trans fatty acid. Chicken Winglet (A) and Chicken Hot Wings (B) have higher amount of saturated fatty acids (SFA) which are 28.73% and 25.92% respectively. The amount of saturated fatty acids (SFA) in Chicken Drumst (C), Chicken Botik (D), Fiery Grilled Chicken (E), Chicken Meatballs (F), and Chicken Nuggets (G) are in between 10.94-19.38%. The saturated fatty acids found in the fast food samples are palmitic acid, stearic acid, and myristic acid. Highest amount of linoleic acid (omega-6, 18.90%) was found in Chicken Meatballs (F). The ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 in sample D was 2.32:1 which is in the acceptable range. Although trans fatty acid was not found in the samples, presence of more than 10% saturated fatty acids in chicken fast food is still harmful for health as it may increase risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)