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Possible Sources of Calcium and Phosphorus in the Chinese Diet

I. The Determination of Calcium and Phosphorus in a Typical Chinese Dish Containing Meat and Bone

Department of Foods and Nutrition, School of Home Economics, and Department of Chemistry, Oregon State College, Corvallis

1. In the Chinese diet, milk and cheese, the well-recognized sources of calcium and phosphorus, are not used. A typical Chinese dish, which is called ‘sweet-sour-spareribs,’ was analyzed as a possible source of these elements. Pork spareribs were cut into 1-inch pieces and cooked in a rice-vinegar, soy bean sauce, salt and sugar solution for 1 hour at a low temperature. Samples of bone, meat and cooking solution were analyzed for calcium and phosphorus before and after cooking.

2. Tricalcium phosphate is found to be more soluble in the cooking solution with a pH of 3.2 containing salt and sugar, than in water. Providing the calcium and phosphorus of bone exist in large proportion as tricalcium phosphate, this cooking solution would favor its solubility.

3. From the analysis of a sample of 173.8 gm. of meat and bone, total amounts of 0.551 gm. of calcium and 0.384 gm. of phosphorus were obtained. Of these amounts, 0.451 gm. calcium and 0.270 gm. phosphorus were obtained from the meat, and 0.100 gm. calcium and 0.114 gm. phosphorus from the solution, after cooking. In this particular brand of soy bean sauce, only traces of calcium and phosphorus were found, while those of the rice-vinegar were negligible.

4. Quantitatively, the amount of calcium obtained in this dish exceeds the minimum requirement of 0.45 gm., and approaches the allowance of 0.68 gm. per man per day, while the amount of phosphorus obtained hardly reaches half the minimum requirement. The latter, however, is more generously distributed in foods and it is easier, therefore, to fulfill the daily requirement. Biological experiments should be carried on in animals and humans to find out how these elements from such a source are metabolized. If they are absorbed and utilized satisfactorily, another significant source of calcium and phosphorus has been demonstrated.

5. It is possible that this peculiar method of cookery used extensively by the Chinese may be of particular value in providing adequate amounts of calcium and phosphorus in the Chinese diet. Also the Chinese method of chewing and sucking small pieces of bones while eating may increase the total amounts of these elements.