Nutritional value of six multi-ingredient sauces from Burkina Faso

Multi-ingredient sauces (n=36), which are traditionally consumed with dishes containing starch (millet-based-tô, rice), were collected in rural Burkina Faso and analysed for their dry matter (DM), macronutrient (lipids, proteins) and micronutrient (iron, zinc, carotenoids and retinol) contents. DM content varied from 7.8% to 21.8% depending on the sauce. Groundnut sauces had the highest DM content. Protein contents were similar (22.2–32.3 g/100 g DM). The highest lipid contents were found in groundnut sauces (∼45 g/100 g DM). Sauces made from green-leafy vegetables formed a homogeneous group with a high content of retinol activity equivalents (RAE) (p<0.0001) and, to a lesser extent, of iron (p<0.05) compared to the dried okra or groundnut sauces. An isomer of β-carotene was detected in sauces made from green-leafy vegetables. The content of this isomer was strongly correlated with β-carotene content and not with cooking time.