Determination of folate contents in selected Indian foods using the tri-enzyme extraction and estimated folate intakes of the population based on 24-h recall.

The prevalence estimate of neural tube defects in India is restricted to some village clusters and has been reported to be 6.57-8.21 per 1,000 live births, one of the highest in the world. Dietary intake data for folate are scant and do not provide an accurate estimate because of the lack of analysed data in commonly consumed cooked/processed foods. A 24-h dietary recall survey of 200 respondents aged 17-24 years in one of the Southern states of India was used to prioritize the common foods consumed. Forty-three foods/preparations were analysed for their total folate content using the tri-enzyme extraction technique and microbiological assay using Lactobacillus casei, subsp. Rhamnosus. The mean dietary intake of the selected population was estimated to be 277 microg/day based on the analytical results obtained through this study. This value is relatively higher (2.8 times) than the calculated values reported on the intakes of the rural population (98 microg/day) reported by the National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau, India.