Abstract

Many of the foods we eat suffer some grade of previous transformation, which can go from minimal cleaning operations to major transformations resulting from the application of heat. These actions produce a change in the volume and / or weight of the food, which implies a variation between the food that is acquired or bought and the food that is actually served and / or consumed. These variations could result in loss or gain in weight, depending on the type of food and the type and conditions of the culinary operation applied. On the other hand, these variations have implications in the planning of the menus since they can affect the budget and the quantities of the portion presented in the plate. In order to take these changes into account, the food transformation indices (ITA) must be applied, which consider losses due to preliminary operations and changes generated by cooking processes. The aim of this study was to obtain the different ITAs resulting from culinary operations carried out on food consumed in Chile. For this, the food was weighed, gross and net, calculating for each one the corresponding ITA. The indicators obtained represent a national standardization, not previously published, whose greatest usefulness is the planning of menus, although they are also useful in calculating the chemical composition of food and meals, and for intake survey analysis, being a contribution to the food area and the area of collective food in Chile.