Information on cholesterol intake through restaurant meal is of high concern because of increasing eat-out population. Since nutrient labeling is not mandatory for restaurant food in Korea, cholesterol database on restaurant menu is unavailable. This study was performed to construct regional and national cholesterol database on primary Korean restaurant foods including 30 soup/stew, 24 rice dishes, and 27 noodles. From 2009 to 2012, Korea Ministry of Food and Drug Safety collected total 5832 foods (81 food types ×6 regions ×12 restaurants) nationwide and then 486 composites representing food types and regions were prepared for cholesterol analysis. Cholesterol contents of 486 composite samples were highly affected by recipe, food type, seasonality of ingredients, and geographical location, showing the range of 1.1-143.0, 1.5-85.1, and 0.4-62.2 mg/100 g for soup/stew, rice dishes, and noodles, respectively. The highest cholesterol value was observed in Al-tang (spicy fish roe soup) while Maemil-guksu (buckwheat noodle in beef stock) showed the lowest among all samples. Most foods contain relatively low cholesterol content, but the serving size and consumption frequency of dishes should be considered in order not to exceed the recommended daily intake limit (300 mg cholesterol). Saponification coupled with gas chromatography applied for cholesterol analysis was reliable based on accuracy (95% > recovery) and precision (repeatability <4% and reproducibility <8%). Quality control chart monitored for 4 years showed that all analyses were under the control. This study provides reliable and representative cholesterol contents of Korean restaurant key foods, which can be utilized for assessments of cholesterol intake in the current Korean diet.
Keywords: Cholesterol; Food composition database; Korean key food; Method validation; Restaurant food.