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Original Articles

Rural‐urban variation in the calcium, iron, zinc and copper content of tortillas and intake of these minerals from tortillas by women in Guatemala

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Pages 289-297 | Received 03 Jul 1991, Accepted 13 Mar 1992, Published online: 31 Aug 2010
 

Tortillas are central to the traditional Guatemalan diet. This study measured the contents of calcium, iron, zinc and copper in tortillas and assessed the daily intake of these minerals which Kekchi women derived from tortilla intake. Tortillas from 50 households in three rural, two semi‐urban and one very low‐income urban community were found to contain a mean of 108 mg calcium, 1.5 mg iron, 1.8 mg zinc, and 0.2 mg copper per 100 g of edible portion. Calcium, iron and zinc contents were significantly different in rural than in urban tortillas. Mean tortilla intake per day was 579 g which contributed a mean of 1,164 kcal, 33 g protein, 643'mg calcium, 8.3 mg iron, 10.7 mg zinc and 0.88 mg copper. Tortilla intake alone contributed at least 50% of the R.N.I, in 78% of the women for calcium, 60% for iron and 92% for zinc. These data confirm that the tortilla remains an important dietary source of nutrients for Guatemalan women.

La tortilla de maíz es un alimento básico y tradicional en la dieta Guatemalteca. En este estudio se determinó el contenido de calcio, hierro, zinc y cobre en tortillas, calculándose posteriormente la magnitud de las ingestas diarias de los minerales individualizados que derivan de éstas. Se estudió un total de 50 hogares en communidades indígenas Kekchi localizados, tres en zonas rurales, dos en áreas semi‐urbanas y una en zona urbana de bajo nivel socioeconómico. El contenido promedio (mg/100 g de porción comestible) de calcio, hierro, zinc y cobre fue 108, 1.5, 1.8 y 0.2, respectivamente. La concentración de calcio, hierro y zinc fue significarivamente diferente en tortillas del área rural que en la zona urbana. El consumo promedio de tortillas fue de 579 g, lo cual aporta: 1164 kcal, 33 g de proteínas, 643 mg de calcio, 8.3 mg de hierro, 10.7 mg de zinc y 0.88 mg de cobre. 78%, 60% y 92% de las mujeres estudiadas cubria 50% o más de la ingesta recomendada de calcio, hierro y zinc, respectivamente. Estos resultados confirman el hecho que las tortillas.

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