Identificación, sistematización y valoración nutricional de elaboraciones con pastas alimenticias tradicionales en Venezuela.

The Venezuelan population is among the leading per capita pasta consumers worldwide; however, little has been documented about local culinary proposals that can be considered genuine when this ingredient is used as a base. Using the focus group technique with 17 panelists, six preparations were identified whose histories, techniques, and ingredients allowed them to be defined as autochthonous; 1063 surveys were collected and used as a database to systematize and nutritionally evaluate their recipes through the statistical program Nutriplato. In conclusion, the importance of spaghetti with beans, sardines, and diablito, as well as macaroni with chicken, Zuliana macaroni, and cold pasta, was highlighted for local cuisine. These dishes are highly nutritious and energy-dense, providing high-biological-value protein, but they are also significant sources of sodium and saturated fat.