Developing Omega 3 Edible Oil Blends and Evaluating their effects and safety in pre clinical studies

Abstract

Burden of non-communicable diseases (NCD) is rising globally. It is important to tackle this issue urgently. As high omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio (and#969;6: and#969;3 ratio) leads to chronic inflammation, which in turn is associated with development and progression of NCD, improvement in this ratio favouring and#969;3 fatty acids (FA) is essential. It can be achieved by using edible oil blends as edible oils are major source of dietary FA. Here, we hypothesized that, by using oil rich in and#969;3 FA for blending, it is possible to improve FA composition of the oils particularly and#969;6: and#969;3 ratio. Consumption of such blends would improve tissue or cellular and#969;6: and#969;3 ratio. newlineFirst, we prepared blends of flaxseed oil (FSO) with palm olein (PO) or groundnut oil (GNO) or coconut oil (CO). These blends were evaluated for their physicochemical characteristics, thermo-oxidative stability and storage stability using published or AOAC official methods. In this study, we have used FSO as a rich source of and#969;3 FA to modify FA composition and and#969;6: and#969;3 ratio of the oils. From the results, we could conclude that even five percent FSO in a blend was able to improve and#969;3 FA level and and#969;6: and#969;3 ratio of the prepared blends without adversely affecting physicochemical characters. Though FSO had poor thermo-oxidative stability owing to high PUFA content, blends with PO, GNO and CO (oils rich in SFA/ MUFA) had improved thermo-oxidative stability and or storage stability. newlineTo evaluate effect of these blends in cell lines, three different cell lines representing three different cell types were selected (THP-1: monocytes, HepG2: hepatocytes and 3T3-L1: adipocytes). In these cell lines, effect of the blends on viability was determined by MTT viability assay and FA composition was determined by Gas chromatography. Inflammatory markers were determined in THP-1 cell line while lipid accumulation and peroxidation was determined in HepG2 and 3T3-L1 cell lines. It is important to note that blends were able to modulate and#969;6: and#969;3 ratios desirably, supporting our hypothesis.