Food Composition 291Investigating specifi c traditional and
ethnic foods
Traditional and ethnic foods refl ect cultural inheri-
tance and in many cases form key components in the
dietary patterns in many countries. In many instances
traditional foods include underutilized vegetable
species and in the current evolved world there are
still many of these species and subspecies of which
the nutrient information is lacking. Traditional and
ethnic foods contribute considerably to the diet of
many populations, and may have signifi cant health
contributions. Research and analysis on these foods
has slowly emerged as a matter of great interest, but
with fi nancial constraint on such type of research,
much is still to be done.
Ethnic minority populations have become signifi -
cant parts of the population in many countries, and
similarly in many developing countries traditional
foods form a major component of these populations’
diet. Inequalities in health status are observed in these
subpopulations compared with the general popula-
tion. These inequalities, which could be due to socio-
economic status, have highlighted the need for the
expansion of nutrient data on ethnic and traditional
foods. A limited budget is mostly all that is available
for the analysis of these foods, which is one of the
main reasons why there are limited data available.
Often composition data for ethnic foods are derived
or borrowed from other food composition tables or
derived from recipes. Variation and modifi cation in
recipes and cooking practices between individuals are
also some of the complications to consider when
the composition of ethnic and traditional foods is
investigated.
Bioactives in foods and their effect on health
and well-being
Dietary constituents commonly found in foods with
health-promoting or benefi cial effects when ingested
are part of the emerging evidence that drives consum-
ers, researchers, and the food industry in their quest
for validated information. It is generally recognized
that a diet high in plant foods is associated with
decreased incidence of certain diseases such as cancers
and cardiovascular disease. One of the several plausi-
ble reasons for this decrease in incidence of disease is
the antioxidant properties of plant-derived foods,
which may prevent some of the processes involved in
the development of cancer (protecting DNA from
oxidative damage) and cardiovascular disease (inhib-
iting oxidative damage to low-density lipoprotein
cholesterol). Apart from containing antioxidants,
plant foods contain other compounds, not classifi ed
as traditional essential nutrients, but as bioactives.
These bioactives, backed up with substantial evidence,
may play a role in health promotion.
Thousands of plant bioactives have been identifi ed
and the major classes of plant bioactives are fl avo-
noids and other phenolic compounds, carotenoids,
plant sterols, glucosinolates, and other sulfur-
containing compounds (http://www.eurofi r.net). The
USDA has prepared several Special Interest databases
on fl avonoids, proanthocyanidins, isofl avones, and
ORAC (antioxidant powers assayed by oxygen radical
absorption capacity assay). The ORAC database con-
tains values for total phenols also.Nutrition and health claims
Focusing on the relationship between diet and health,
consumers are demanding more information on
the food they purchase and consume. Not only has
there been an increase in demand for nutrition
information, but the increased prevalence of non-
communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease
and diabetes mellitus, as a consequence of obesity, has
led to increase in the need for nutrition communica-
tion and guidance in making healthy food choices.
Food labeling has become an important communica-
tor to the consumer, with the provision that it is based
on the truth and not misleading. The Codex Alimen-
tarius Commission (http://www.codexalimentarius.
net) aims to strengthen local and regional efforts
towards harmonizing and simplifying the process of
making a nutritional or health claim.
Towards this end they proposed the following areas
for further development:
● labeling to allow consumers to be better informed
about the benefi ts and content of foods
● measures to minimize the impact of marketing on
unhealthy dietary patterns
● more detailed information about healthy consump-
tion patterns including steps to increase the con-
sumption of fruits and vegetables
● production and processing standards regarding the
nutritional quality and safety of products.
Nutrition and health claims are used to present
products as having an additional nutritional or health