Introduction: This study aimed to determine the nutrient content of cornflakes and muesli, ready-to-eat cereal products available in the Malaysian market. Cornflakes and muesli were chosen due to their popularity as a breakfast meal especially in urban areas. Methods: A total of six brands each for cornflakes and muesli were purchased from supermarkets in the Klang Valley using stratified random sampling. All samples were analysed using AOAC official methods of analysis. The validity of the test data was monitored with the application of internal quality controls in line with the requirements of ISO 17025. Results: Proximate analysis revealed significantly higher mean levels of carbohydrate (86.94 ± 0.59 mg/lOOg), minerals such as iron (8.48±1.72 mg/lOOg) and sodium (674.83±102.99 g/lOOg), B3 as niacinamide (25.87 ± 6.14 g/lOOg) and sucrose (5.10 ± 0.90 mg/lOOg) in cornflakes than in muesli. However, muesli contained significantly more mean moisture (10.23 ± 0.72 mg/lOOg), protein (10.07 ± 0.79 mg/lOOg), total dietary fibre (12.49 ± 1.44 mg/lOOg), magnesium (113.22 ± 7.93 mg/lOOg), zinc (1.65 ± 0.16 mg/lOOg), copper (0.25 ± 0.02 mg/lOOg), total sugar (18.75 ± 2.05 mg/lOOg), glucose (7.70±1.77 mg/lOOg) and fructose (8.68±1.76 mg/lOOg) than cornflakes. Most of the fatty acids analysed were not detected or of low value in both the cereal products. Conclusion: The nutrient analysis of cornflakes and muesli suggests that both ready-to-eat cereals are nutritionally good choice as breakfast for consumers as it provides carbohydrate, minerals, fibre and vitamins. The data provides additional information to the Malaysian Food Composition Database.
There is an increase need and demand to update Malaysian Food Composition Database (FCD) which was last updated in 1997. The current FCD program was designed to expand the quantity and improve the quality of the existing database. The present work was aimed to determine the nutrient content of commercial rice products from three rice varieties classified as raw and processed foods, namely Basmati, Siam, and Fragrant rice. A total of six brands from each type of rice were sampled from a local supermarket within Klang Valley. Analyses were carried out for 27 nutrients that include proximate (Energy, Water, Protein, Fat, Carbohydrate, Total Dietary Fibre, and Ash), minerals (Magnesium, Calcium, Sodium, Iron, Zinc, and Copper), water soluble vitamins (C, B1, B2, B3, B6 and B9), fat soluble vitamins (A and E), total sugar, fatty acids (total saturated fat, total monounsaturated fat and total polyunsaturated), trans fatty acids, and cholesterol. The three rice varieties were found to contain comparable nutrient levels except for vitamin C, B1, A, E and total sugar which were not detected in all samples. The fatty acid (total saturated, total monounsaturated, and total polyunsaturated) as well as trans- fatty acid were detected at very low levels. Cholesterol was not detected in all samples. These findings can be utilised in raising public awareness and assistance to better estimate nutrient contents and intake depending on the varieties of rice.