Abstract

Author(s): Lluch Armell, Teresa1; Sureda Trullás, Laura2; Almenar Lluch, Antonio3; Gómez Urios, Clara4

Introduction: The analysis of the nutritional composition of foods by bromato- logic analysis is an arduous task; for this reason, thanks to the collection of the data obtained from these analyses in different countries, the food composition tables have been developed. These are the basis of nutritional software, which gets speed up the calculation of the composition of nutrients in the diet.

Objective: check if there are significant differences between the results obtained for the calculation of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, dietary fiber and iron through bromatological analysis, and the one obtained by the calculation with computer programs.

Methods: for the bromatological analysis have been used the techniques recommended by the AOAC and for the values obtained by calculation, the nutritional computer programs of different periods have been used: Program used by the General Subdirectorate for Commercial Protection of the Community of Madrid, Dietowin, Dietsource and Dial. 23 different dishes were studied: twelve starters and eleven main dishes, corresponding to the menu of seven collective dining rooms of a company from the Valencian Community, in a transversal and longitudinal study over a period of two years.

Results: it has been verified that the average values determined by direct analysis and those obtained by calculation, show significant differences after applying the t of Student. In the case of the values obtained for the different computer programs, no significant differences were found.

Conclusion: The computer programs that have been used present about 65% and even higher significant differences in the values calculated for the different nutrients, with respect to the values obtained by bromatolo- gical analysis. One of the possible causes that could explain these differences would be: because in TCA most of the values of the nutrients are obtained from raw foods; While in the direct analysis, complete dishes have been analyzed in which the food has been subjected to culinary or processing techniques. Regarding the second hypothesis, it could be said that there are no differences between the values obtained by the different computer programs used, since the values for all TCAs are valued in crude.