[Assessment of nitrates and nitrites contents in preschool food rations]

The aim of this study was evaluation of nitrate/nitrite contents in preschool food rations of children 4 - 6 years old. 30 food rations served in a nursery school in Warsaw within the autumn 2005 - spring 2006 period were taken into account (10 samples per season). The levels of nitrate/nitrite in the food rations were calculated using literature data on nitrate/nitrite content in food products. The amounts of nitrate/nitrite in the examined food rations varied seasonally. The recorded nitrate season means ranged from 93 mg NaNO3 in spring to 131 mg NaNO3 in winter. The values exceeded the nitrate accepted level from 22 to 72%. On the other hand, the recorded nitrite season means ranged from 0.52 mg to 0.72 mg NaNO2 and did not exceed the nitrite accepted level. Vegetables and their products were the main source of nitrates in the evaluated food rations, they contributed about 87% of the total supplied nitrate amount. On the other hand, nitrites were supplied mainly by vegetables, vegetable products (39%), and by meat products (23%).