LATINFOODS and its role in the generation and compilation of data for Latin America.

LATINFOODS is the Latin American organization, affiliated to INFOODS, invol ved in the generation and compilation of data on the composition of foods, and with the methods of analysis and the users of the data. UN and FAO are the organizations which have supported the activities of this network, thro ugh the realization of workshops, specific courses, symposia analyzing pres ent situation and future plans of action. One of the concrete actions has b een the preliminary edition of the Food Composition Table of Latin America (1998). Among the priorities of LATINFOODS is the generation of data on var ious nutrients, among which the carotenoid pigments occupy a fundamental pl ace. The original reason for their determination and their compulsory inclu sion in food composition tables of all countries was related directly to th eir provitamin A activity or retinol equivalents as classically expressed i n the mentioned tables. In this context, beta-carotene, because of its high er biological activity, was preferentially determined. It is known that in nature, both in the plant and in the animal kingdom, there are numerous car otenoid pigments that play diverse roles, other than the classic ability to confer attractive color to foodstuffs, ranging from yellow, passing throug h orange to red. The desire to know the composition of the different carote nes and xanthophylls in fresh and processed foods has increased in recent y ears because of their biological activity as antioxidants in vivo in humans . This circumstance has given new impulse to the study of carotenoids in fo ods other than beta-carotene. Methods to determine carotenoids constitute a nother priority for LATINFOODS. A course sponsored by FAO has been carried out, but the realization of new concrete activities is necessary, given the complexity of the subject which requires vast experience and is led in Bra zil by Dr. Delia Rodriguez-Amaya. It is hoped that the next edition of the Food Composition Table for Latin America, which will be published in two ye ars, will have the maximum information about these compounds. Our region is privileged with native foods which are potentially excellent sources of ca rotenoids. It is our duty to carry out this investigation as soon as possib le, considering its importance at all levels.