The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences
Abstract
The following is an excerpt of the introduction to this article: Olestra, a fat-substitute comprised of sucrose that has been esterified with fatty acids (Blume 1995), has been the subject of much controversy ever since its creation. Olestra is not absorbed (Mattson and Nolen 1972) because it cannot be hydrolyzed by pancreatic lipases (Mattson and Volpenhein 1972) or taken up across the enterocyte microvillus membrane (Freston et al. 1997), and thus, cannot be utilized for energy. Olestra has physical and organoleptic properties similar to those of traditional triglycerides (Jandacek and Webb 1978) and is emulsified together with triglyceride (Freston et al. 1997), yet it passes through the colon and is excreted unchanged (Fallat et al. 1976). It therefore adds no fat, sugar, or calories to the diet (Thomson et al. 1998).
Recommended Citation
Lebel, L. (2011). Did the FDA Properly Assess the Safety of Olestra as a Food Additive?. The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences, 5(1). Retrieved from https://touroscholar.touro.edu/sjlcas/vol5/iss1/7
