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A PILOT STUDY ON FOOD COMPOSITION OF FIVE TURKISH TRADITIONAL FOODS 1

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Abstract 4

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Purpose- Traditional foods are an important part of the culture, history, and lifestyle of a 6

country and are key elements for the dietary patterns of population. In Turkey, there is 7

currently a lack of information on the nutritional composition of traditional foods, and a need 8

to investigate their food composition by further comprehensive studies. The main objective of 9

this paper is to describe methodology and practices undertaken during a pilot study on food 10

composition of Turkish traditional foods (TTF) and their findings to be used as a basis for further 11

studies on traditional foods. 12

Design/methodology/approach-The pilot study was conducted under the European Food 13

Information Resource Network (EuroFIR) Project for the systemic investigation of traditional 14

foods. As a partner country of the EuroFIR, Turkey has selected 5 traditional foods, tarhana 15

soup, yoğurtlu kebap (kebab with yoghurt), hamsi buğulama (anchovy stew), pastırma, and 16

baklava. The traditional recipes of the selected foods were recorded by field studies. 17

Nutritional composition of foods was determined by chemical analyses. 18

Findings- Information on the identification, sampling, sample handling, and analysis was 19

collected for each of the selected food. The food composition data were evaluated by using 20

EuroFIR standards, and the recommended dietary allowances (RDA) for nutritents. Five TTF 21

were meeting with various nutrient recommendations. 22

Orginality/value- This pilot study on the systemic investigation of traditional foods would be 23

an example for further traditional food studies in Turkey and would enable to generate 24

reliable, representative and sufficient quality data on TTF. 25

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Keywords- food composition, traditional foods, Turkish foods, EuroFIR. 27

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1. INTRODUCTION 35

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Traditional foods are an integral part of the cultural heritage, history, identity and life style of a 37

region or country (Costa et al., 2010; Trichopoulou et al., 2007). Specific eating habits play an 38

important role in the traditional habits of many cultures (Costa et al., 2010; Weichselbaum et al., 39

2009). Lifestyle changes are effecting the eating habits and leading to disappearing of some traditional 40

foods (Costa et al., 2010; Trichopoulou et al., 2006). Hovewer, there is an increased interest for 41

traditional foods among consumers and manufacturers as they are often perceived as having specific 42

sensory characteristics, health benefits and being of higher quality (Costa et al., 2010; Trichopoulou et 43

al., 2007; Vanhonacker et al., 2010). 44

In order to estimate the likelihood of success of different production techniques in traditional 45

foods it is very important to know the meaning of the word “Traditional” (Guerrero et al., 2010). 46

EuroFIR definitions for “traditional” and “traditional food” terms are as follows: “Traditional means 47

conforming to established practice or specifications prior to the Second World War. Traditional food 48

is a food of a specific feature or features, which distinguish it clearly from other similar products of 49

the same category in terms of the use of “traditional ingredients” (raw materials or primary products) 50

or “traditional composition” or “traditional type of production and/or processing method” 51

(Trichopoulou et al., 2007; Weichselbaum et al., 2009). 52

In most of the countries, there is currently a lack of information on the food composition of 53

traditional foods, and it is necessary to investigate their nutrient composition by further studies (Costa 54

et al., 2010; Trichopoulou et al., 2006). These studies are also essential for elucidating the role of 55

these foods in the traditional dietary pattern of a population and for perpetuating the important 56

elements of a cultural inheritance (Trichopoulou et al., 2006). 57

An attempt to obtain experience and know-how on the systematic study of traditional foods by 58

developing a pilot study has been initiated by the Traditional Foods work package (WP) within the 59

EuroFIR project (Costa et al., 2010). EuroFIR was a 5-year Network of Excellence funded under the 60

EU 6th Framework Food Quality and Safety Priority Programme and funding for the project was ended 61

in June 2010 (EuroFIR, 2011; Finglas et al., 2010). The pilot study was conducted on a restricted 62

number of five food samples selected by twelve European countries participating in EuroFIR 63

Traditional Foods WP (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, 64

Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey). The target of such a study was establishing a common 65

methodology for the investigation of traditional foods and allows countries to further investigate their 66

traditional foods at a national level and produce reliable and comparable data on these foods 67

(Trichopoulou et al., 2007). Although 5 foods were not represenatative for the traditional cusine of a 68

country, it was a step for better investigation of traditional foods. In the study, the TTF, pastırma, 69

tarhana soup, hamsi buğulama (anchovy stew), yoğurtlu kebap (kebab with yoghurt), pastırma, and 70

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baklava, were selected by the partner from Turkey, The Scientific and Technologial Research Council 71

of Turkey (TUBITAK), Marmara Research Centre (MRC) Food Institute (FI) (Weichselbaum et al., 72

2009). In Turkey as well as in some other countries, there is lack of systematic studies on traditional 73

foods and generating reliable, nationally representative and quality food composition data. The 74

practices undertaken during this pilot study and their findings are aimed to be used as a basis for 75

further studies on traditional foods. According to this aim, this paper presents a full description of the 76

whole steps of the pilot study and data evaluation of the 5 TTF. 77

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2. MATERIALS AND METHODS 79

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2.1. Documentation, Prioritization and Evaluation 81

Each country in Turkey was selected the five prioritized traditional foods according to a 82

procedure including three steps: documentation, prioritisation and evaluation (Costa et al., 2010). 83

Traditional foods were documented through specific criterias, such as; food descriptions, 84

documentation of the traditional character of the food taking into account the EuroFIR definition, food 85

consumption data, availability or not of compositional data etc. Priorisation criterias were 86

documentation on traditional characteristics of the food, availability of existing compositional data for 87

the food, data on the frequency of estimated consumption, health implications and marketing potential. 88

After the 5 traditional foods prioritised, foods were evaluated so as to represent the various elements 89

of meals; consisting of one starter, two main dishes, one desert and one other special food 90

(Weichselbaum et al., 2009). 91

Among the 5 documented TTF, food composition data was available mostly for “tarhana”, 92

“pastırma” and a main ingredient of “kebab with yoghurt” which is doner meat (Dağlıoğlu, 2000; 93

Demirezen and Uruç, 2006; Erbaş, 2003; Erbaş et al., 2005; Erbaş et al., 2006; Gönülalan et al., 2004; 94

İbanoğlu et al., 1995; Kaban, 2009; Kayışoğlu et al., 2003; Özdemir et al., 2007; Siyamoglu, 1961; 95

Tamer et al., 2007; Temiz and Pirkul, 1990). Studies on pastırma were generally based on the effect of 96

different process and storage techniques, starter cultures on quality and nutritional value (Aksu and 97

Kaya, 2002; Inan, 1992; Kaban, 2009; Yıldırım, 1996). 98

Although calculated values for the compositional data of baklava and anchovy stew samples 99

were available in the literature, to our knowledge there is no published compositional data for these 100

foods including systematic sampling procedure and comprehensive compositional data (Baysal et al., 101

2006). There are different studies carried on traditional foods, particularly tarhana and pastırma (Aksu 102

and Kaya, 2002; Baysal et al., 2006; Inan, 1992; Kaban, 2009; Tekinsen and Doğruer, 2000; Yıldırım, 103

1996). However, these studies were not including various quality parameters on food composition data 104

production such as; systematic sampling, procedures for food handling, and method information and 105

nutritional evaluation (Castanheira et al., 2007). 106

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When a full meal course of Turkish consumers were taken into consideration, from the Turkish 107

cuisine; 108

“tarhana” was selected as a starter while it is the main ingredient of “Tarhana soup”, 109

“kebab with yoghurt” was selected as first main meat dish, 110

“anchovy stew” was the representative of fish dishes and selected as second main dish, 111

“baklava” was selected as dessert, and 112

“pastırma” was selected as an other special traditional food. 113

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“Tarhana” is Turkish cuisine’s traditional, fermented wheat-yoghurt mixture, basically made 115

from cereal (wheat flour etc.), yoghurt, and vegetables (onions, tomato puree etc.). It is considered that 116

tarhana was firstly made by Turks settled in Mid-Asia and it has been brought by Turkish settlers to 117

Anatolia, Middle East, Balkans and some European countries. With its acidity and low water activity 118

characteristics, it preserves milk proteins effectively for long periods. “Tarhana soup” is one of the 119

most commonly consumed dishes in Turkey. Preparation of dried “tarhana” and “tarhana soup” varies 120

among regions. Uşak is one of the well known cities in Turkey for “tarhana” production (Dağlıoğlu, 121

2000; Halıcı, 1981; Siyamoglu, 1961; Ünver, 1948). Tarhana is officially identifed with a Turkish 122

Standard, TS 2282. 123

In Turkish, the term of “pastırma” was generated from "bastırma et” means “pressed meat”. 124

Pastırma is a traditional salted dried meat product and it was first made by Turks in Mid-Asia and the 125

techniques of pastırma production were improved in Central Anatolia, by the chefs of Kayseri and the 126

technique was brought from past to present (Tekinsen and Doğruer, 2000). “Pastırma of Kayseri” and 127

“Pastırma of Afyon ” has “Registered Geographical Sign (RGS)”, given by Turkish Patent Institute 128

(TPI) in 2001 and 2004, respectively. Related Turkish Standards are TS 1071 and TS 9268. The 129

duration of pastırma production takes generally one month while type and size of beef muscels effects 130

the production time. According to the literature, good quality pastırma is produced from the fillet, the 131

shank, leg and shoulder cuts (Kilic, 2009). 132

“Kebab with yoghurt” is one of the most known meat dishes of North-Western Turkey. It is a 133

kind of “kebab” prepared from thinly cut grilled meat served with tomato sauce over pieces of “pide” 134

bread and generously slathered with melted butter and yoghurt (EuroFIR, 2009). 135

“Hamsi” (Engraulis encrasicolus) is one of the most economically important fish species of the 136

Black Sea. There are various consumption ways of “hamsi” in the traditional Turkish cuisine such as; 137

fried anchovy with rice, bread with anchovy, rice with anchovy, pie with anchovy, anchovy burger, 138

fried anchovy, anchovy soup, “hamsi kuşu” and “buğulama” (stew) which is one of the most preferred 139

one (Boran and Albayrak, 2004). 140

“Baklava” is one of the most produced and consumed Turkish traditional dessert. “Antep 141

baklavası” has “RGS” given by TPI in 2007. Gaziantep is the well known city of Turkey with its 142

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various types of baklava production techniques that were passed from generation to generation 143

(Baysal, 2006). 144

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2.2. Recording and Sampling 146

Traditional foods were sampled according to a set of EuroFIR Guidelines for the Recording of 147

Traditional Recipes and the Collection, Preparation and Distribution of Laboratory Samples which 148

ensure a common approach for obtaining representative food samples while sampling plan is a very 149

important step for generating quality data (Burlingame, 2004; Costa et al., 2010). A main geographical 150

area of origin of the traditional food production was identified for collection of each traditional food 151

by using information traced from related publications and with the collaboration of Institutes. The 152

geographical orgins selected for tarhana, kebab with yoghurt, anchovy stew, baklava and pastırma 153

were Uşak, Bursa, Trabzon, Gaziantep and Kayseri provinces of Turkey, respectively. A local former 154

usta (master) was selected within the defined geographical region to be visited for the recording of the 155

traditional food preparation method. All visits to geographical regions were carried out by 2 project 156

personnel between May and October 2007. A collaboration protocol agreement was agreed prior to 157

recipe recording between each food master and TUBITAK MRC. The protocol was offering protection 158

of the secrets of food producers (e.g. the trade marks of ingrediens) and rights of TUBITAK MRC 159

(e.g. name of TUBITAK MRC can not be used for company advertising purposes). 160

The whole food production process was observed by the project personel. During the 161

observation, the production steps were recorded by photographs (The final photos of the prepared TTF 162

are given in Figure I). Information on food preparation was recorded on the geographic origin and 163

characteristics of raw materials, quantities of ingredients, production method, type of cooking method 164

and preservation conditions. Some mesurements were taken by the project personel such as; 165

measurement of waste during the preparation of the ingredients, time and temperature of production 166

steps and weight of the final product. An interview was conducted by the traditional food masters 167

concerning the tips of traditional production, the historical and local differences of the production 168

methods and typical local traditional food consumption patterns etc. 169

After completion of the recipe recording, a food sample (500 g) was taken from the final 170

traditional food product. Then, 4 food samples (500 g) were also purchased from 4 different local 171

traditional small businesses/ restaurants by taking into consideration all food samples to contain same 172

ingredients and to be produced by same production steps with others. 173

For each country, the recorded traditional food production methods were published in recipe 174

cards by collaboration of EuroFIR with the British Nutrition Foundation (Costa et al., 2010; EuroFIR, 175

2009). 176

At the end of food sampling, the traditional foods were transported to the laboratory in 177

appropriate cooled containers. 178

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2.3. Sample handling 180

Upon arrival of samples at the laboratory, a composite sample (1500 g) was formed by pooling 181

and homogenizing equal quantities (300 g) of individual traditional food samples (1 sample from the 182

recorded recipe + 4 samples collected from different suppliers). About 500 g laboratory sample was 183

derived from the composite sample for chemical analysis. A small amount (about 150 g) of the 184

composite sample was lyophilized (Leybold-Heraeus, GT-3, Germany) and stored in a deep freeze (at 185

least -20 °C) to be kept in 10 years for potential future analysis (e.g. bioactive compounds). 186

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2.4. Analysis 188

All chemical analysis of 5 TTF composites was conducted at the laboratories of TUBİTAK 189

MRC FI. The laboratories were accredited according to the standards of EN ISO/IEC 17025:2005. All 190

the analytical methods were validated. Certified reference materials and proficiency testing schemes 191

were used for the evaluation of most of the analytical methods. Each laboratory sample was analysed 192

in duplicate. The samples were not frozen before the analysis, except β-carotene and lycopene. 193

Concentrations of water by vacuum and air oven (method 950.46, 925.10, 925.45), ash by 194

direct analysis (method 900.02, 923.03), dietary fibre by enzymatic-gravimetric method (method 195

991.43), total sugar by Lane Eynon method (method 923.09), individual sugars by liquid 196

chromatographic method (980.13) were determined according to AOAC methods (AOAC, 2005). 197

Protein was calculated from the nitrogen value [%nitrogenxNCF] determined by the Kjeldahl method 198

(Kjeltec 2300 Autoanalyzer, Foss Tecator AB, Hoganas, Sweeden). Carbohydrate contents were 199

calculated by difference [100-(moisture+protein+fat+ash+dietary fibre)] (FAO, 2003). Energy 200

contents were calculated according to the Atwater general factor system 201

[Energy=proteins×4+fat×9+carbohydrates×4] (FAO, 2003). 202

Concentrations of magnessium, calcium, potassium, sodium (method 985.35), iron, zinc, 203

copper (method 999.10) by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (Perkin Elmer AAnalyst 700) were 204

determined according to AOAC methods (AOAC, 1999). Phosphourous by spectrophotometric 205

method were analysed according to AOAC method (AOAC, 2005). Selenium was analysed by hydride 206

using EPA method (EPA 7741A) (EPA, 1994). 207

Vitamin A (992.06) and vitamin E (992.03) by liquid chromatographic method, vitamin C by 208

titrimetric method were analysed according to AOAC modified methods (AOAC, 2005). 209

Concenterations of vitamin B1, vitamin B2 (Finglas et al., 1984), vitamin B6, niacin (Hofmann et al., 210

1988), β-carotene and lycopen (Zakaria et al., 1979) were determined by using modified HPLC 211

techniques. 212

Analytical results were subjected to scrunity. Data were checked for inconsistencies, and 213

compared with previously published values for the same and/or similar foods. The appropriateness of 214

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the values was also evaluated by simple calculations. Such as, total mineral content must not exceed 215

the total ash. 216

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2.5. Data synthesis 218

Data synthesis is necessary for dietary evaluation of foods and the last step at the systemic 219

investigation of traditional foods. There is a need to investigate their role in the beneficial effects of 220

the nutrition while most of the traditional foods are considered healthy (Trichopoulou et al., 2006). 221

The nutrient values of 5 TTF were evaluated between them, composed in a meal and in comparision 222

with the RDA. 223

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3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 225

All production steps of 5 TTF were recorded in detail by the completion of recording and 226

sampling activities of the pilot study. The main production steps of each traditional Turkish food are 227

given below and the recorded quantities of ingredients are presented in Table I. 228

In tarhana production, vegetables were homogenized, yogurt and flour was added and kneaded. 229

Tarhana dough was fermented, dried under shade and finally sieved. 230

In pastırma production, a whole piece of veal dorsal was covered with salt and dry-cured. Salted 231

meat was washed and dried under the sun. Dried meat strips were pressed and re-dried. This 232

process was repeated for several days. Then, entire surface of meat was covered with çemen, 233

which is prepared from çemen flour (ground seed of fenugreek- Trigonella foenum graecum L.), 234

ground red hot chilly pepper, milled dried garlic and water. Finally, pastırma was dried. 235

In “anchovy stew” production, firstly vegetables then anchovy samples were placed onto a tray, 236

spiced, oil and water was added and cooked. 237

“Kebab with yoghurt” was prepared from thinly cut grilled meat serviced with tomato sauce 238

over pieces of “pide” bread and slathered with melted butter and yoghurt. 239

In baklava production, thin sheets of dough were put on a tray by filling with milled Antep 240

Pistachionuts and cream which was prepared from milk and semolina. Baklava was cooked in a 241

270 °C traditional stone oven. Sherbet was poured over and let it cool. 242

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The nutritional data on the chemical analysis of 5 TTF composites are given in Table II. The 244

results of data sythesis activity used to evaluate the analytical data are discussed below. 245

Tarhana is a cereal food with a high nutrition value, due to fermentation process and its 246

ingredients- flour, yoghurt, and vegetables (Özdemir et al., 2007). The dried tarhana samples, 247

compared to other 5 traditional foods, had the higher vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin C, magnesium, 248

copper, sodium, lactose, galactose and glucose contents. Although tarhana contains higher proportion 249

of sodium due to salt content, sodium (1154 mg/100g) concentration must be less in the tarhana soup 250

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due to diluation (see Table II). Tarhana was also a good source of iron and phopohorous providing 251

40% and 29% RDA, respectively (see Table III). 252

Results of water (9.8 g/100g), protein (11.1 g/100g), and fat (2.3 g/100g) analysis of tarhana 253

were consistent with the previous literature (Dağlıoğlu, 2000; Erbaş, 2003; Erbaş et al., 2005; 254

İbanoğlu et al., 1995; Siyamoglu, 1961, Tamer et al., 2007; Temiz and Pirkul, 1990; Özdemir et al., 255

2007). Tarhana has very low water contet due to drying process which makes it to be stored 1-2 years 256

(Özdemir et al., 2007). Tarhana was containing lactose (1.66 g/100 g), galactose (0.80 g/100g) and 257

calcium (78 mg/100 g) due to its yoghurt ingredient (see Table II). 258

Pastırma was rich in protein (28.6 g/100g, 56% RDA), niacin (5.04 g/100g, 34% RDA), iron 259

(8.9 g/100g, 69% RDA), zinc (6.8 g/100g, 68% RDA) and phosphorous (237 mg/100g, 34% RDA), 260

due to its main ingredient-veal. Although pastırma contains high proportion of sodium (933 mg/100g) 261

due to brining in the production, sodium intake from pastırma must be low while in Turkey it is 262

consumed in very thin slices (Wright, 2002) (see Table II). In pastırma production, salt is used as an 263

antimicrobial factor which contributes the shelf life of product by minimising water activity ( aw) 264

(Tekinsen and Doğruer, 2000). 265

Baklava is a dessert with a high energy, fat and carbohydrate value mainly because of its sugar 266

and butter content. However, the high proportion of pistachio ingredient in baklava must be related 267

with high niacin (3.1 mg/100g, 21% RDA), vitamin B1 (0.14 mg/100 g, 12% RDA), vitamin E (1.4 268

mg/100g, 9% RDA), copper (0.33 mg/100g, 37% RDA), phosphorous (93 mg/100g, 13 % RDA), iron 269

(1.14 mg/100 g, 9% RDA) and zinc (0.84 mg/100g, 8% RDA) concentrations. High vitamin A content 270

(0.46 mg/100 g, %58 RDA) of baklava was assumed to be associated with butter ingredient (see Table 271

II). 272

Kebab with yoghurt is a main dish in Turkish cousine with a high nutritional value, due to its 273

yoghurt, cereal and meat ingredients. Therefore, kebab with yoghurt is found rich in various nutrients 274

such as protein (9.2 g/100 g, 18% RDA), phosphorous (104 mg/100g,15% RDA), iron (1.8 mg/100 g, 275

14% RDA), zinc (1.61 mg/100g, 16% RDA), vitamin B6 (0.46 mg/100g, 35% RDA) and vitamin A 276

(0.16 mg/100g, 20% RDA) (see Table II, III). 277

As expected due to its high content of anchovy, “anchovy stew” had high values of protein (9.3 278

g/100g, 14% RDA), calcium (168 mg/100g, 17% RDA), phosphorous (154 mg/100 g, 22% RDA), 279

vitamin B1 (0.22 mg/100g, 18% RDA), vitamin B6 (1.2 mg/100g, 92% RDA) and niacin (2.87 280

mg/100g, 19% RDA) (see Table II, III). It was assumed that vitamin and iron bioavailablity of 281

anchovy stew must be high due to its ingredients-vegetables, lemon and olive oil (Ball, 1998). 282

The menus which are planned based on traditional foods are in need to establish nutritional 283

adequacy of a meal (Edelstein, 2008). Selected 5 TTF were representing main elements of a traditional 284

Turkish meal such as lunch or dinner. Two sample lunch meal menu (menu A and B) based on 5 TTF 285

were generated in order to estimate the nutritional content of the meals and check their compliance 286

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with the RDA requirements. A basic lunch must provide one third of the RDA for key nutrients 287

appropriate for the different age levels (Edelstein, 2008). Menu A was consisting of one starter; a 288

serving of tarhana soup, one main dish; 200 g of kebab with yoghurt, one desert; baklava and one 289

other special food; one slice (20 g) of pastırma. Menu B was consisting of one starter; a serving of 290

tarhana soup, one main dish; 200 g of anchovy stew, one desert; baklava and one other special food; 291

one slice (20 g) of pastırma. Nutrient value of the tarhana soup was estimated according to its recipe 292

consisted of 15 g tarhana and 5 g vegetable oil per serving (EuroFIR, 2009; USDA, 2010). In Table 293

IV, the total calculated nutrient value of the menu A and B were compared with one third of the RDA 294

levels of key nutrients. Both menus meet or exceed the requirements of most of the nutrients. 295

However, both meals were not provided 1/3 of RDA for dietary fibre, vitamin C, vitamin E, potassium 296

and magnesium nutrients. A possible cause of this was considered lack of vegetable or fruit based 297

foods in the both meals. Eventually, meals consisted of 5 TTF would be enriched by a vegetable salad 298

or fruit and it would contribute to the nutrient density of the meal. Meal A would also be enriched by a 299

calcium rich food -such as; yogurt based traditional Turkish drink “ayran”- in order to increase the low 300

calcium level of the meal (see Table IV). 301

Traditional foods are often considered as healthy foods (Costa et al., 2010). It was seen that 5 302

TTF were meet with various nutrient recommendations. It can be assessed that the combined 303

consumption of these foods can contribute to healthy nutrition and provide potential health benefits. 304

There is need to investigate tradional foods for elucidating these health effects. However the studies on 305

traditional foods should also include aspects on their cultural role while the consumption rate of these 306

foods is reducing and original traditional production techniques are loosing by the time. Application of 307

systematic investigation strategies on traditional food studies are essential for providing accurate and 308

reliable analytical results and complete quality information on all data production stages, e.g. 309

sampling, sample handling, and analysis. With this pilot study, a know-how on the systematic 310

investigation of traditional foods was obtained and tested by EuroFIR. This knowledge and experience 311

was also used for the basis of the sampling methodology of traditional foods in National Food 312

Composition Database Project (http://www.turkomp.gov.tr) of Turkey which is started in 2008 (Löker 313

et al., 2011). Therefore, in Turkey it is necessary, the further food composition studies to be nationally 314

representative, standart and accurate, for an- other reason; their data to be appropriate for inclusion in 315

the new Turkish Food Composition Database. 316

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4. CONCLUSIONS 318

It is considered that the methodology and results of this pilot study applied to the Turkish foods 319

published in this paper would be a guide for futher studies on traditional foods and in this way, it may 320

contribute to provide reliable data, to enrich and improve the diet of the population, and to sustain 321

National culinary culture in Turkey. 322

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5. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 324

This study was done on behalf of the EuroFIR Network of Excellence Consortium (FOOD-CT-325

2005-513944) and funded under EU 6th Framework Food Quality and Safety Programme. The authors 326

thanks to Erdal Ertaş for total fat analysis and Fırat Yayık, Zafer Yaşar, Tamer Işık, Şenol Erdoğan for 327

their active support during sampling and recording procedure and TUBITAK MRC FI technicians for 328

their participation in the analyses of traditional foods. The authors also thank to Dr. Helena S. Costa 329

from Instituto Nacional de Saúde, Portugal for rewieving the manuscript. 330

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437

438

439

440

441

Figure I. Photos of the 5 TTF (a –tarhana, b –pastırma, c –kebab with yoghurt, d –anchovy stew, e –baklava) 442

443

444

445

446

447

448

449

14

450

Table I. Quantity of each ingredient used for the preparation of 5 TTF.

Tarhana, Uşak Pastırma, Kayseri Kebab with yoghurt Anchovy stew Baklava,Gaziantep

50 parts wheat flour 90 parts veal 58.5 parts mutton

(cooked)

115 parts hamsi

(Engraulis

encrasicolus), raw

50 parts Antep

pistachio nut; with

shell

50 parts onions, raw

(without skin)

4 parts çemen

(Trigonella foenum

graecum L.) flour

31.5 parts veal

(cooked)

44 parts red

tomatoes, raw

10 parts wheat flour

50 parts whole fat

yoghurt

0.2 parts powdered

hot chilly pepper

180 parts pide (flat

bread)

57 parts onions, raw

(without skin)

10 parts butter

1.3 parts mint, raw

(without stalks)

0.2 parts, garlic, dry 125 parts whole fat

yoghurt

77 parts potatoes,

raw

5.9 parts whole milk

250 parts green

pepper, raw

(without stalks)

10 parts rock salt,

medium size

40 parts butter 5 parts lemon, raw 3.4 parts sugar

200 parts red

pepper, raw

(without stalks)

5.5 parts tap water 10.5 parts tomato

paste

10 parts olive oil 1.5 parts egg, whole

50 parts tomatoes

red, raw (without

skin)

10 parts green

pepper, raw

1 parts parsley, raw 1 parts starch

10 parts red tomato,

raw

0.5 parts table salt 0.6 parts semolina

39.5 parts tap water 0.5 parts powdered

black pepper

0.1 parts table salt

50 parts tap water 1.6 parts tap water

15

Table II. Food composition and energy values for the 5 TTF (per 100 g of edible portion).* 451

Components

Tarhana, Uşak Pastırma, Kayseri

Kebab with

yoghurt Anchovy stew

Baklava,

Gaziantep

Energy [kJ (kcal) /100 g] 1 469 (351)± 2 (1) 987 (236)± 4 (1) 944 (226) ± 3 (1) 648 (155)± 2 (0) 1 785 (427)±4 (1)

Water [g/100 g] 9.8±0.04 45.5±0.0 60.4±0.0 72.9±0.0 18.6±0.1

Protein [g/100g] [NCF: 6.25] 11.1±0.1a

28.6±0.0

9.2±0.0

9.3±0.5

4.5±0.1a

Ash [g/100 g] 4.9±0.0

6.9±0.0

1.6±0.0

1.6±0.1

0.7±0.0

Dietary fibre [g/100 g] 0.5±0.1 0.5±0.1 1.1±0.1 0.5±0.0 1.9±0.1

Fat [g/100 g] 2.3±0.1 9.5±0.3 15.6±0.1 11.0±0.1 22.4±0.0

Carbohydrate [g/100 g] 71.47±0.10 9.02±0.37 12.07±0.21 4.66±0.33 51.73±0.35

Vitamin B1 [mg/100 g] 0.64±0.0 0.08±0.0 0.14±0.0 0.22±0.0 0.14±0.0

Vitamin B2 [mg/100 g] 0.83±0.1 0.16±0.0 0.15±0.0 0.07±0.0 0.05±0.0

Vitamin B6 [mg/100 g] 1.04±0.1 0.10±0.0 0.46±0.0 1.20±0.0 0.05±0.0

Niacin [mg/100 g] 1.09±0.1 5.04±0.0 1.11±0.0 2.87±0.0 3.10±0.1

Vitamin C [mg/100 g] 4.25±0.0 1.33±0.0 0.51±0.0 1.13±0.0 2.18±0.1

Vitamin E [mg/100 g] 0.08±0.0 0.02±0.0 0.36±0.0 na 1.40±0.0

Vitamin A [mg/100 g] na nd 0.16±0.0 0.13±0.0

0.46±0.0

β-carotene [mg/100 g] 0.45±0.0

na

na na 0.62±0.0

Lycopene [mg/100 g] 0.09±0.0 5.29±0.0

na

na

na

Total sugars [g/100 g] 4.10 ±0.0 1.39±0.0 2.50±0.0

2.09±0.1

30.18±0.0

Glucose [g/100 g] 0.95±0.1 0.41±0.0 0.19±0.0 nd 0.70±0.0

Fructose [g/100 g] 0.36±0.0 0.23±0.0 0.13±0.0 nd

0.39±0.0

Galactose [g/100 g] 0.80±0.0 nd nd 1.38±0.0

nd

Sucrose [g/100 g] nd 0.32±0.0

0.05±0.0

nd 27.05±0.0

Maltose [g/100 g] nd

nd 0.88±0.0 nd

1.99±0.0

Lactose [g/100 g] 1.66±0.0

nd

nd nd

nd

Sodium [mg/100 g] 1154 ±1 933±3

381±1

242±0

87±2

Potassium [mg/100 g] 438±7 511±15 262±0 345±3 180±2

Calcium [mg/100 g] 78±3.0 36±1.0 36±1.4 168±0.3 40±0.2

Magnesium [mg/100 g] 63.4±2.4 33.0±1.1 7.7±0.2 19.3±0.1 10.2±0.2

Iron [mg/100 g] 5.3±0.3 8.9±0.1 1.8±0.0 1.0±0.0 1.14±0.03

Copper [mg/100 g] 0.33±0.0 0.16±0.0 0.09±0.0 0.14±0.0 0.33±0.0

Phosphorus [mg/100 g] 204±1 237±6 104±2 154±1 93±1

Zinc [mg/100 g] 1.66±0.0 6.80±0.2 1.61±0.0 1.43±0.0 0.84±0.0

*Data are expressed as mean SD (n= 2). 452 NCF –nutrient conversion factor 453 aNCF –5.80. 454

na – not analysed 455 nd – not detected, limit of detection (LOD) of Vitamin A content: 0.091mg/100g, LOD of glucose content: 0.012 g/100 g; 456 LOD of fructose content: 0.012 g/100 g; LOD of sucrose

content: 0.011 g/100 g. 457

458

459

460

461

462

16

463

464

Table III. The RDA proportions (%) of nutrients provided by 100g of the 5 TTF. 465

Nutrients

RDA1

Tarhana,

dried

[%]

Pastırma

[%]

Kebab with

yoghurt

[%]

Anchovy stew

[%]

Baklava

[%]

Protein 51 g 22 56 18 18 7

Dietary fibre 32 g 2 2 3 2 9

Potassium 4700 mg 9 11 6 7 6

Calcium 1000 mg 8 4 4 17 4

Magnesium 370 mg 17 9 2 5 3

Phosphorus 700 mg 29 34 15 22 13

Iron 13 mg 40 69 14 8 9

Zinc 10 mg 17 68 16 14 8

Copper 0.9 mg 37 18 10 16 37

Vitamin B1 1.2 mg 53 7 12 18 12

Vitamin B2 1.2 mg 69 13 13 6 4

Vitamin B6 1.3 mg 80 8 35 92 4

Niacin 15 mg 7 34 7 19 21

Vitamin C 83 mg 5 2 1 1 3

Vitamin E 15 mg 1 0 2 nc 9

Vitamin A 0.8 mg nc

0 20 16 58 1Average values for adults (USDA, 2011), nc: not calculated. 466

467

468

469

Table IV. One third of the RDA proportions (%) of nutrients provided by 5 TTF based meals 470

Nutrients 1/ 3 of the RDA 1

Meal A2

[%]

Meal B3

[%]

Protein 17 mg 171.53 172,71

Dietary fibre 10,67 g 45.52 34,27

Potassium 1566,67 mg 48,60 59,20

Calcium 333,33 mg 32,97 112,17

Magnesium 123,33 mg 24,04 42,85

Phosphorus 233,33 mg 170,82 213,68

Iron 4,33 mg 609,88 572,95

Zinc 3,33 mg 160,13 149,33

Copper 0,3 mg 441,37 474,70

Vitamin B1 0,4 mg 114,97 154,97

Vitamin B2 0,4 mg 95,70 55,70

Vitamin B6 0,43 mg 228,22 569,76

Niacin 5 mg 114,46 184,86

Vitamin C 27,67 mg 10,58 15,06

Vitamin E 5 mg 42,63 28,23

Vitamin A 0,27 mg 249,38 226,88 1Average values for adults (USDA, 2011), 471

2 Meal A is based on 1 serving tarhana soup, 1 slice of pastırma (20 g), 200 g kebab 472

with yoghurt, 1 serving baklava (75 g). 473 3Meal B is based on 1 serving tarhana soup, 1 slice of pastırma (20 g), 200 g anchovy 474

stew, 1 serving baklava (75 g). 475 476

477

478