Nutritional Evaluation of Selected Traditional Foods Commonly Consumed in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

During the last few decades, Saudi Arabia experienced rapid nutritional transition associated with an alarming elevation in the prevalence of obesity and related chronic diseases. Traditional foods contribute to the usual diet of the population in Saudi Arabia and the nutritional evaluation of traditional foods is necessary to accurately estimate dietary intakes of the Saudi population. Therefore, the objective of the current work is to evaluate twentyfive traditional foods commonly consumed in Saudi Arabia based on their nutritional composition. Proximate composition and vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus, iron, phytate and oxalate content were investigated. On fresh weight basis, the analyzed foods contained 1.17-16.19% (N × 6.25) protein, 0.25-17.84% fat, 2.57-68.30% carbohydrate, 0.31-2.26% dietary fiber, 0.67-2.90% ash and 17-430 kcal/g. The vitamin D content ranged from 0.0-75.88 IU/100g. Mineral content (mg/100g) of calcium, phosphorus and iron were 13.62-91.37, 22.33-200.37 and 0.51-4.44 respectively. Phytate and oxalate content (mg/100g) were 2.25-148.52 and 1.02-48.63 respectively. The studied traditional foods contributed 15-91%, 3-69% and 2-30% of the total food energy from carbohydrate, fat and protein respectively. Data from this study will be important to clarify nutritional value and nutrient contribution from common traditional foods in Saudi Arabia. Saudi dietary guidelines should take into consideration, the nutritive value and health aspects of traditional foods.

Development of a Lebanese food exchange system based on frequently consumed Eastern Mediterranean traditional dishes and Arabic sweets

“…The amount of total fatty acid in the foods consumed in Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia are extremely important given the elevated prevalence of non-communicable diseases in the countries (Table 3) 26 . Compared to our findings, increased fatty acid content was observed in Falafel that was also reported in many other Arab countries (14.3% in Saudi Arabia to 18.4% in Jordan) 23,24 .…”

“…Furthermore, the Kuwaiti Baba Ghanouj's fatty acid content was moderately lower than that described in our study (8.7 and 9.4, respectively) 22 . Total fatty acid levels in Batata Mehchi ranged from 5.6% in Lebanon at 1970 to 5.9 % in Saudi Arabia 11,24 . Musiager et al, in 1998 21 , found double the amount of fatty acid levels in Bourgul bi banadoura, Chichbarak and yakhnet Bamia when compared to our study ( Table 3).…”

“…Pellet et al, in 1970, showed high total fatty acid content in Lahm bi ajin (39.4%) which was higher than the reported value of 8% in our study 11 . There is limited available research on the composition of Lebanese traditional composite dishes, thus the results provided in this study were compared with data from other countries in the EMR 11,[21][22][23][24][25][26] , mainly the amount of total fatty acid content in these foods. The amount of total fatty acid in the foods consumed in Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia are extremely important given the elevated prevalence of non-communicable diseases in the countries (Table 3) 26 .…”

“…As stated before, there is a gap in the research field on the composition of Lebanese traditional composite dishes and Arabic sweets, thus our findings were compared with data from other countries in the EMR 11,[21][22][23][24][25][26] , mainly the amount of total fatty acid content in these sweets. Compared to our findings, the fatty acid content of Baklava in Lebanon did not differ to that in Jordan; however, it was lowest than the value reported in Bahrain.…”

Lemon Juice, Sesame Paste, and Autoclaving Influence Iron Bioavailability of Hummus: Assessment by an In Vitro Digestion/Caco-2 Cell Model

“…Hummus contains a relatively higher phytate content than cooked chickpeas [79]. However, this present study showed that iron bioavailability was significantly higher in hummus; it increased by more than 4-fold when both tahini and lemon juice were added to chickpeas (from 7.2 to 30.4 ng of ferritin/mg of total protein in Caco-2 cells, see Figure 3A).…”