Authors Durazzo A., Lisciani S., Camili E., Marconi S., Gabrielli P., Gambelli L., Aguzzi A., Gambelli L., Lucarini M., Marletta L (CREA (Council for Agricultural Research and Economics) – Food and Nutrition) Abstract

Nowadays, the concept of “optimal nutrition”, is leading researchers to study not only the nutritional properties and roles of individual components or of food simples, but also their combination in dishes, meals and diets. Italy is extremely rich in traditional foods and dishes, and their production has been passed from generation to generation, thus playing an important role within local cultures.  Efforts have been increasingly made to analyze the nutritional composition of traditional dishes both to know more what we eat and to include them in national Food Composition DataBase (FCDB) (1, 2).

Objectives

This work aims at evaluating the nutritional composition, their coverage for Dietary Reference Values (DRVs) in Italian population, and the antioxidant properties of some popular dishes commonly consumed and representative of the traditional cousin, for a better understanding of their nutritional role. Material and Methods. The chosen dishes were: spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with claims), pasta alla carbonara (pasta with eggs, bacon and parmesan), pasta alla amatriciana (pasta with tomato, cured pork cheek and pecorino cheese), pomodori al riso (rice-stuffed tomatoes), gateau di patate (potatoes pie), carciofi alla romana (stuffed artichokes), pan di spagna (sponge cake), torta di mele (apple cake). Every recipe was prepared in duple according to traditional cooking techniques in a dedicated lab-kitchen following standardized protocols (recipe, ingredients and preparation). Only pomodori al riso dishes were purchased from different take-away points. Chemical parameters (protein, fat, ash, carbohydrates, dietary fibre) were evaluated by the AOAC Official Methods. Antioxidant properties by FRAP (Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power) and Total Polyphenol Content (TPC) were determined in aqueous-organic extracts and in the corresponding residues.

Main finding

Results showed that chemical composition and energy value varied extensively because of the variety, the type and amounts of ingredients in the analyzed dishes, and thus defined different daily nutrient intakes and their association with health effects.  Regarding antioxidant properties, for all dishes, except the carciofo alla romana, the hydrolysable polyphenols (residues) were major contributors to the total antioxidant activity. The carciofo alla romana dish reached the highest FRAP value (87.46 µmol/g FW) in aqueous-organic extract, while other recipes were within the lower range (1.27-6.25 µmol/g FW). In residue the values range from 10.53 to 62.48 µmol/g FW.

Conclusion

Our findings thus provide knowledge of the nutrient profile of some Italian traditional dishes and contribute to updating the Italian Food Composition Database, also by means of values for their antioxidant properties. The availability of these new and suitable food composition data will also facilitate further nutrition-related studies and will likely encourage the consumption of dishes rich in key nutrients and bioactive molecules.

Keywords:

• Nutrient profiling
• Consumption frequency
• Portion size

Authors Lombardi Boccia G., Lucarini M., d’Evoli L., Aguzzi A., Gabrielli P., Camili E. (CREA (Council for Agricultural Research and Economics) – Food and Nutrition) Abstract

The ongoing study is planned to provide a picture of compositional figure and nutritional value of meat based dishes typical of Italian culinary tradition. The goal is to develop a database of the recipes among the most widespread ones in Italy in order to estimate the dietary nutrient intake through diet. The main database outcome lies in offering a range of nutritional data that are a useful tool for the food policy makers.

Data on the composition of cooked foods and dishes are often missing in nutritional databases, conversely they can offer reliable information on the effective nutrient intake and can represent a proper and useful tool to guide consumers and nutritionists in the formulation of specific diets. Material and Methods Several meat cuts of bovine and pork were analysed and, in order to assess changes in the nutrient composition, raw and cooked meat cuts were compared.

Each selected dish was prepared three times in a test kitchen; stainless steel tools were used. After cooking, each dish was homogenised and stored at -30°C for subsequent analyses. Samples were analysed for macro-nutrients (AOAC), fatty acids (GC/MS), cholesterol, macro elements (Ca, Mg, Na, K, P) and trace elements (Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn) (ICP-OES), B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin), vitamin E and t-retinol content (LC/MS/MS).

Results

For each recipe more than 30 nutrients are presented. The database contains information on cooking methods and recipe formulation (ingredients). Our findings show substantial differences between raw meat and the respective meat based dishes. These differences were mainly due to ingredients. Among ingredients, olive oil was responsible for the shift of fatty acids classes to MUFA as well of the significant increase in vitamin E content.

Conclusion

The choice of the foods for daily consumption and the way in which they are prepared, the ingredients included in the recipes, strongly changes their intrinsic nutritional value. This can play an important role in determining the overall quality of the daily diet and have, therefore, a direct impact on health status. Our findings provide data about changes occurring upon cooking in foods as consumed in the daily recipes compared with the raw foods. The knowledge of the changes in molecules of nutritional interest (eg. fatty acids, iron, zinc, vitamins, cholesterol) occurring upon cooking is of importance because this allows to get a correct calculation of their actual intake at consumer level, and can be a proper and useful tool to formulate more accurate diets. The study contributes to establish criteria necessary to design appropriate data base that includes the recipes specific for meat-based dishes, and can highlight the impact of certain foods and diets on health, and assist potential users and industry leaders to develop better guidelines food policy.

Keywords:

• database
• meat dishes
• recipe

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