Resumo

TORO, Yolanda M; GUERRA, Marisa; ESPINOZA, Claudio  e  NEWMAN, Adollys. Changes in the proximate composition of pre-cooked cornmeal, pastas, and baby cereals when prepared at home for their consumption. An Venez Nutr [online]. 2011, vol.24, n.1, pp.027-033. ISSN 0798-0752.

Cereals are an important source of macronutrients that vary with the processing and preparation before their consumption. Cooking improves the taste of food, nice and makes them nicer and more digestible. The objective was to evaluate the changes produced in the proximate composition of precooked cornmeal, white rice, pasta and baby cereals at the time of preparation at home, aiming to update and provide data to the Venezuelan Food Composition Table (TCA). Eighty-seven samples of food products were purchased among precooked cornmeal, white rice, pasta and baby cereals. The samples were acquired at government outlets (MERCAL) and supermarket chains in different areas of Caracas. Eleven lots were obtained, which were analysed raw and cooked (usual home preparation). The analyses performed were moisture, protein, fat and ash, using official methods. The percentage results indicate significant differences (p <0.05) for the evaluated parameters between raw and cooked products for different brands. All raw cereals have humidity lower than 11.12%, and show protein percentage variations from 7.07 to 15.02, fat from 1.18 to 2.50 and ash from 0.40 to 2.38 meeting the provisions of the corresponding COVENIN standard. In the samples prepared for consumption, the percentage variations are: humidity between 56.31 and 75.97, protein from 2.53 to 5.38, fat from 0.36 to 1.22, and ash from 0.16 to 0 72. The major change these foodstuffs experience by domestic food processing is the moisture (water absorption and evaporation), which dilutes and modifies the components, which in the case of proteins are reduced by more than 50%, and thus for calculating the supply of macronutrients, the content should be considered as the foodstuff is consumed. The results obtained are similar to those reported in the 2000 version of the TCA.

Palavras-chave : cornmeal; rice; pasta; baby cereals; preparation; proximate composition.