Fatty acid profile and cholesterol content of 32 selected dishes in the state of Kuwait

Thirty-two Kuwaiti composite dishes were analyzed for their fatty acid and cholesterol contents. The fatty acid profile showed that palmitic and stearic acid were predominant, whereas cis-oleic was the major mono-unsaturated fatty acid. Some dishes contained relatively low levels of trans 18:1 fatty acids. The ratio of poly- to mono-unsaturated and saturated fatty acids (P:M:S) showed that only three dishes were close to the recommended ratio of 1:1:1 with the rest being substantially higher, particularly with respect to the saturated fatty acids. Cholesterol content of the dishes, ranged from traces to 150 mg/100 g. The shrimp dishes contained the highest levels (115-151 mg/100 g), followed by dairy dishes, with an average of 47.4 mg/100 g and sandwiches with 41.4 mg/100 g (on average). The other dishes contained lower amounts of cholesterol.