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The aim of this study was to estimate the dietary intake of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus in the elderly institutionalised population using duplicate diet sampling and to establish any related difference with the results obtained using food composition tables. The study was carried out on a sample group of 112 subjects in Granada (Spain). 1-week food duplicate samples offered by the elderly were studied. Calcium and magnesium were determined by AAS and phosphorus was determined by spectrophotometry. Anova showed significant differences (p<0.05) in all the minerals analyzed. These results suggest that the use of food composition tables is not suitable to evaluate the calcium, magnesium and phosphorus in nutritional trials. Moreover, the results show clearly that it is essential to consider these differences to establish the adequate intakes of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus for the elderly population in relation to the mineral bone status.

We surveyed the diet of a group of inhabitants in a mountainous area where goitre was endemic. The amount of iodine supplied by the diet was determined by analyzing foods with gas chromatography with electron-capture detection. The mean daily intake of iodine per person was between 286.4 and 1,134.4 micrograms. These values are within acceptable ranges recommended by several authors. The dietary supplies of proteins, fats and carbohydrates were also all within the ranges recommended by the FAO/WHO. Although goitre was endemic in the area studied, no dietary deficiency in iodine supply was found in any of the families investigated. Thus the ultimate cause of the endemic will have to be sought in other etiologic factors.

One of the metabolites of ochratoxin A (OA) is 4R-4-hydroxyochratoxin A (4-OH-OA), and the ratio of 4-OH-OA to OA excreted in urine can be linked to the carcinogenic potential of this compound. As further support to the hypothesis that OA can be involved in Balkan endemic nephropathy and the associated urinary system tumours, it was decided to investigate the presence of these two compounds in the urine of affected populations. A sensitive method is described for the determination of the compounds at the 10 ng l-1 level. It involves extraction, two purification steps by column chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), an analysis by HPLC and a confirmatory test by HPLC after derivatisation.

The quantity of thiocyanate ion in vegetables has been determined due to its relationship with endemic goiter. The technique is based on the use of gas chromatography with electron capture detection (ECD), which provides good sensitivities.