A study of chemical composition of sixteen traditional standardized dishes from Goiás, Brazil, was conducted, according to the way they are usually prepared in the region. The chemical composition was determined by direct analysis and estimated by tables of food composition (indirect analysis). Energy values was verified above 100kcal/100g and low concentrations of alimentary fiber in all of the processed foods (except for "guariroba ao molho" and "pequi refogado"), as well as significant contents of protein (6.3 to 10.0%) and lipids (6.5 to 18.8%) in the sweet dishes studied. The differences among the values obtained by direct analysis and by indirect analysis were between 0.4 to 154.4%. The results of this study reinforce the need of direct analysis of the chemical composition of processed foods, above all those typically regional, to obtain more reliable evaluation of the alimentary consumption.
food; nutrient; chemical composition; traditional dish; processed food
