Dietary Fat Profiles of Composite Dishes of the Arabian Gulf Country of Kuwait

Twenty-two Kuwaiti composite dishes were analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography for their cholesterol and fatty acid contents. The cholesterol content of the dishes ranged from trace levels to 371 mg/100g dry wt. The shrimp-based dish (371) and lamb meat-based dishes, Kofta (177), contained the highest levels. These were followed by the sweets rich in eggs (Elba) (155), fish (120), and chicken-based dishes (117). Other dishes contained lower amounts of cholesterol (between 13.1 and 115 mg/100 g). Palmitic and stearic acids were the predominant saturated fatty acids;cis-oleic acid was the major monounsaturated fatty acid. Only few dishes contained relatively low levels oftrans18:1 fatty acid. The ratio of the polyunsaturated-to-monounsaturated-to-saturated (P:M:S) fatty acids in almost 50% of the dishes was substantially higher than the 1:1:1 ratio recommended, particularly with respect to the saturated fatty acids. The P:S ratios in these same dishes were also low, i.e., less than 0.5, with the ratio 1:1 being recommended as the most desirable.