Table of Phenylalanine Content of Foods: Comparative Analysis of Data Compiled in Food Composition Tables

• Main Authors: Araújo, Ana Claudia Marquim F., Araújo, Wilma M. C., Marquez, Ursula M. Lanfer, Akutsu, Rita, Nakano, Eduardo Y.
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Subjects: Food composition tables; Phenylalanine; Phenylalanine restricted diet; Phenylketonuria
• ISSN: 2192-8304; 2192-8312
• DOI: 10.1007/8904_2016_12

Background: Knowing the phenylalanine (Phe) content of foods is essential for managing the diet of patients with phenylketonuria. Data on the Phe content of foods are scarce and sometimes vary between different Food Composition Tables (FCT). Brazil created its own table of the Phe contents of fruits and vegetables based exclusively on the chemical analysis of protein content, considering that proteins contain 3–4% Phe (TCFA/ANVISA). This study compared the protein and Phe contents of vegetables and fruits provided by the TCFA/ANVISA with those listed in international food composition tables. Methods: The Phe content of 71 fruits and vegetables listed in TCFA/ANVISA was classified into four subgroups, and the Wilcoxon nonparametric test compared the Phe and mean protein contents provided by the FCTs. All tests considered the bilateral hypothesis, and the level of significance was set at 5%. The Spearman’s correlation coefficient measured the statistical dependence between Phe and protein contents. Results: The mean Phe content was 50 mg/100 g for 11 type-A vegetables;