Autor(es):
Costa, H.S. 
; Sanches-Silva, A. ; Albuquerque, T.G. ; Trichopoulou, A. ; Vasilopoulou, E. ; D'Antuono, L.F. ; Finglas, P.
Data: 2013
Identificador Persistente: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/1934
Origem: Repositório Científico do Instituto Nacional de Saúde
Assunto(s): Composição dos Alimentos; Nutrição Aplicada
Descrição
Comunicação oral a convite. Objectives: A trend towards the rediscovering of traditional foods has emerged as a reaction to the impact of globalization, in order to protect and maintain the diversity of regional food and agricultural traditions. Research in food composition, particularly traditional foods, is essential to understand their implications in human health and trace recommendations for an improved diet. One of the aims within EuroFIR (European Food Information Resource) and BaSeFood (Sustainable exploitation of bioactive components from the Black Sea Area traditional foods) projects was to generate new data on the nutritional composition of traditional foods to be included in food composition databases (FCDBs).
Methods: A EuroFIR consensus-based method with standardised procedures was applied for the systematic study of traditional foods and recipes. Traditional foods were selected based on the EuroFIR definition of the term “traditional food” and prioritised according to specific criteria: documentation of traditional character; composition data; consumption data; health implications and marketing potential. To assure the quality of analytical results, accredited laboratories or laboratories with successful participation in proficiency testing were chosen. These approaches developed in EuroFIR have been further extended in BaSeFood project.
Results: The nutritional composition of 88 traditional foods from 17 European countries (33 traditional foods from 6 Black Sea Area countries, in the frame of the BaSeFood project and the others in the frame of the EuroFIR project) has been determined using a common approach with standardised and harmonised procedures. Data were evaluated and fully documented (food description, recipe, ingredients, sampling plan, sample handling, component identification, method specification, value and quality assessment) according to EuroFIR standards for inclusion in the available national FCDBs.
Conclusion: Reliable and high-quality food composition data presented in this study are a key tool for future food consumption surveys, and their inclusion in available national FCDBs will support (1) food authorities in decision making; (2) food industry in traditional foods exploitation and promotion, based on potential nutritional benefits; (3) health professionals in rigorous dietary advice and (4) researchers in diet-related health effects and epidemiological studies.
