Proctor & Gamble introduced a food additive called Olestra in 1998. This material replaces fats in snack foods such as potato chips. The advantages claimed for Olestra are that food using this synthetic product in place of digestible fats provide less calories since the Olestra is not digested and passes through the body unchanged. But its critics maintain that the non-digestible nature of Olestra causes digestive tract problems and retards vitamin absorption.

This ChemCases.Com unit looks at the body chemistry underlying this development, shows how Olestra was developed and delves into the issues of how a food product such as Olestra is tested and approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

The concepts on this page take us through the testing of Olestra and pose a case study for your consideration.