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The recipes of 50 multi-ingredient dishes consumed by the population in an urban district were noted down. The nutritional value was determined as well as the cook value of the dishes in order to evaluate the severity of the thermal treatment. The recipes were simple and involved steps such as boiling, mixing, and cutting. Fibre contents were rather low except when the leaf stems were included. All the dishes had very high β-carotene content (15.8–25.0 mg/100 g dry matter) and retinol activity equivalent (RAE) (1.3–2.3 mg RAE/100 g dry matter) because of the high proportion of fresh leafy vegetables (from 41.2% to 58.8% of the total dry matter of the ingredients). When meat was added to the preparation, the micronutrient content (iron, zinc, and retinol) was not increased significantly. In three dishes, a positive correlation was found between the thermal treatment severity and the 13- cis-β- carotene amount. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Multi-ingredient sauces (n=36), which are traditionally consumed with dishes containing starch (millet-based-tô, rice), were collected in rural Burkina Faso and analysed for their dry matter (DM), macronutrient (lipids, proteins) and micronutrient (iron, zinc, carotenoids and retinol) contents. DM content varied from 7.8% to 21.8% depending on the sauce. Groundnut sauces had the highest DM content. Protein contents were similar (22.2–32.3g/100g DM). The highest lipid contents were found in groundnut sauces (∼45g/100g DM). Sauces made from green-leafy vegetables formed a homogeneous group with a high content of retinol activity equivalents (RAE) (p<0.0001) and, to a lesser extent, of iron (p<0.05) compared to the dried okra or groundnut sauces. An isomer of β-carotene was detected in sauces made from green-leafy vegetables. The content of this isomer was strongly correlated with β-carotene content and not with cooking time. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Small-size whole body fish species contained more vitamin A, Fe and Zn. • According to SAIN LIM 3 the fish belong to food group recommended for health. • Levels of Mn, Pb and As sometimes exceed WHO/FAO approved limits. • Certain heavy metals pose a risk to human nutrition. • Henicorhynchus siamensis is the best species to use in a nutritional program. Freshwater fishes from the Tonle Sap Lake are used in several programs to improve the nutritional status of children and pregnant women. Our aim was to characterize the overall nutritional profile and heavy metal contents of ten freshwater fish species. The lipid contents ranged from 1.4 to 10.0 g/100 g and fish can be considered rich in omega 3. The vitamin A content was ten times higher in small fish eaten whole than in fillets of large fish; the same applies to the Fe and Zn contents, but to a lesser extent. Mn, As and Pb contents were over the maximum permissible levels in several fishes. According to SAIN and LIM classification, the ten fish species belong to the food groups recommended for health. However, when heavy metals were integrated in LIM, seven species were ranked into the food to consume in small quantities. Globally, the most interesting fish species was Henicorhynchus siamensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]