Abstract: Gas chromatography was used to determine the trans fatty acid composition of common commercially available milk tea, cream and fruit powder. The results showed that trans fatty acid content was 0.5－3 g per 300 mL of milk tea, 8.6 g per 100 g of cream, and 1－2.2 g per 100 g of fruit powder, respectively. Most trans fatty acids in milk tea arose from cream and fruit powder and the major trans fatty acids were trans C18, among which, trans C18:1 exhibited the largest content, followed by trans C18:2. In addition, small amounts of trans C16 fatty acids were identified in milk tea. The results also indicated that trans fatty acid contents of milk tea, cream and fruit powder were high and varied significantly in products and brands.

Key words: trans fatty acids, milk tea, hydrogenated vegetable oils, gas chromatography (GC)