Determination of the chemical compositions of Mexican antojitos and dishes in Mexico City

The gastronomy of Mexico is characterized by its great variety of dishes, some of which are marketed in informal establishments. These foods do not have a nutrition information label because they are not prepackaged, and their chemical composition is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the chemical composition of Mexican antojitos and comida corrida dishes. A total of 320 samples of 22 Mexican antojitos and 10 comida corrida dishes were collected from 2 neighborhoods from each of 5 municipalities (in the 4 cardinal directions and center) of Mexico City. Each sample was collected and analyzed in duplicate. The analysis included the determination of moisture content, sodium, ash, protein, total fat, crude fiber, and energy value. The carbohydrates content was determined by difference calculations. The mean (standard deviation) of each parameter per serving and per 100 g were estimated. Most of the Mexican antojitos and comida corrida dishes analyzed were shown to be an important source of energy, protein and total fat. The Mexican antojito with the highest average energy (802 ± 314 kcal/portion) and fat value (31.2 ± 13.6 g/portion) was milanesa torta and the highest in sodium was ham torta (1591 ± 792 mg/portion). Most of the Mexican antojitos and comida corrida dishes analyzed provided more than 25 % of the daily sodium intake recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Results suggest that a complete comida corrida may provide close to 100 % of the recommended amount of sodium.