Nutrient analysis of congee, rice and noodle dishes released

The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (March 21) released the results of a study on the nutrient values of congee, rice and noodle dishes.

Announcing the study results, the department's Consultant (Community Medicine) (Risk Assessment and Communication), Dr Ho Yuk-yin, said information on nutrient composition of foods was important for people to make healthy food choices.

A total of 107 congee, rice and noodle dishes plus three sauces, with 10 samples each being taken from various food premises including tea restaurants and noodle/congee stalls, were selected for this study. Chemical analyses were conducted to determine the content of energy and nine nutrients - carbohydrate, protein, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, dietary fibre, sugar, sodium and calcium.

"The results showed that most of these food items contained carbohydrate as the main source of energy, which is consistent with one of the basic principles of healthy diet.

"However, the calcium content of these foods was generally low while the sodium content was on the high side.

"The findings also showed that nutrient contents could vary depending on the kind and amount of food ingredients used and cooking methods," Dr Ho said.

For congee items tested, the energy content was low compared with rice and noodle items. The mean cholesterol and dietary fibre contents of congee were also low. But the cholesterol content of congee with preserved egg and pork or with pig giblet was high, probably due to the use of high-cholesterol ingredients.

For noodles-in-soup dishes, Dr Ho said the cholesterol and saturated fat contents were low in general. But some ingredients of noodles-in-soup dishes, such as beef brisket, cattle offal and egg, were high in saturated fat or cholesterol.

The sodium contents of noodles-in-soup dishes were considered high. The use of ingredients rich in sodium such as mono-sodium glutamate, table salt and salty meat could contribute to a high level of this nutrient content, Dr Ho said.

It was also found that the mean nutrient contents of noodles-in-soup dishes with different types of noodles were different.

"As expected, the energy content, percentage energy from total fats and saturated fat, and the cholesterol content of noodles-in-soup dishes with instant noodles were the highest, when compared with the use of rice vermicelli, rice and wheat noodles," he said.

Compared with noodles-in-soup dishes, fried noodle dishes generally provided much energy and fat. The percentage energy of total fat content of fried noodle dishes was the highest among the types of food analysed in the study.

The sodium levels of most fried noodle dishes were also high. While the cholesterol contents of most fried noodle dishes were low, it could turn high for some items, such as those prepared with preserved black bean, assorted pepper and squid or with preserved vegetable and squid.

"Again this could be due to the use of high-cholesterol ingredients," Dr Ho said.

Concerning meal sets with rice, while the dietary fibre content of different items could be different, the mean content was on the low side.

The nutrient content of the items could also vary depending on the types of cooked rice served. Test results showed that stir-fried tomato and sliced beef with fried rice was higher in energy, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, than when it was served with steamed rice.

For fried rice items tested, the mean cholesterol and sodium contents were on the high side. It might be due to the use of high-cholesterol ingredients such as egg yolk and sodium-rich condiments.

The study also found that the portion size of some food items such as fried noodle and fried rice might be too large for one person, thus increasing the intake of some nutrients.

As excessive intake of some nutrients over a prolonged period could have adverse effects on health, Dr Ho said. Proper dietary measures should be taken, especially by people who ate out frequently.

Considering the generally low dietary fibre and calcium contents of the tested samples, Dr Ho reminded consumers to complement their diet with sufficient vegetables and calcium-rich foods such as low-fat/skimmed dairy products. He also advised patrons to choose steamed rice instead of fried rice for meal sets if they wanted to cut down on the intake of energy and fat.

Dr Ho also urged the food trade to modify the recipes and cooking methods; reduce the use of cooking oil and high-sodium condiments; and provide more food items with high dietary fibre and calcium contents for their customers.

Ends/Tuesday, March 21, 2006
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