Nutritional quality of preparations based on Döner Kebab sold in two towns of Veneto Region, Italy: preliminary results

Abstract

The sampling activity for this study was performed between September and October 2012. It involved seven shops in Verona, eleven in Vicenza and two in its province (Bassano del Grappa), northern Italy. The scope was to measure the values of energy and nutritional components and to identify the profile of fatty acids in a serving of ready to eat Döner Kebab. The samples were collected according to the usual proportions of this preparation, keeping all the components (bread, meat, vegetables and sauces) separated in different bags. In the laboratory, each component was weighed and, after pooling, processed for the analytical determination of humidity, crude protein, lipid content and fatty acid profile, ashes, sodium (salt), carbohydrate, collagen (measured only in meat) and fibre. The results showed a highly standardized recipe, while the comparison between the two towns showed a significant difference in carbohydrate concentration (mainly due to the quantity of bread used). By observing data on the serving sizes sampled (274 to 618 g) and the nutritional values obtained, Döner Kebab can be seen as a ready to eat dish providing much energy: on average a serving size covers 45 and 36% of the recommended daily intake of energy, 95.7 and 82.1% of protein, 42.5 and 33.4% of saturated fatty acids for females and males, respectively, and 85.5% of salt regardless of gender. Döner Kebab can be considered as an occasional substitute to one of the two main meals of the day.

Kebab: can the traditional cooking process sanitize a natural contamination by Listeria monocytogenes?

“…In our opinion the microbiological safety of this product, very diffused in Europe and recently very diffused also in Italy, that from the nutritional point of view can be considered as an occasional substitute to one of the two main meals of the day (Panozzo et al ., 2015 ) cannot be guaranteed by the traditional cooking process only. The risk of foodborne illnesses can be reduced through implementation and improvement of the hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) concept, in particular, attention to the microbiological quality of prime material used for the production of the cone of kebab (also in industrial continuous plants), formation of the staff of kebab houses on the good hygiene procedures for food preparation and service, validation of the defrosting procedure of the product in respect of the dimension of the cone and to the time estimated to be fully consumed, validation of the slices thickness obtained by the widely used electric knife and the thermal treatment obtained by the open oven, should be carefully considered to achieve the food safety of this product.…”

Transnational Döner Kebab taking over the UK

“…... Döner kebab was marketed as an authentic Turkish product, even though it was virtually unknown in Turkey" (Frank & Stollberg, 2004). Although it is not so common in daily routine appetite of back in Turkey, as Turkish (and Kurdish) people wandered around and settled in sizeable diaspora communities in Western Europe and beyond, Döner Kebab went through an evolution across space and cultures (Panozzo et al, 2015). Despite the common name and standard way of upright grilling of this particular kebab, taste and ingredients may slightly differ from country to country.…”

“…"The 'kebab' is one of the fastest growing sectors in the fast food market in some parts of Europe, including in the UK" (Mintel, 2002cited in Meldrum et al, 2009. As one of the fastest growing fast food in Europe, Döner Kebab has apparently become the favourite dish for nearly 30 percent of Italians under 35 (Panozzo et al, 2015). In 2012, James Angelos (2012) wrote that "There's Nothing More German than a Big, Fat Juicy Döner Kebab" referring to growing appetite for the food.…”

Serotype Distribution and Antimicrobial Resistance Profile of Salmonella Isolated from Traditional Chicken Doner Kebabs in Türkiye

“…Due to socio-economic and cultural interactions, dietary habits have turned into a lifestyle defined as fast food, in which the foods that are prepared and consumed in a short time have come to the fore (Panozzo et al, 2015). Among these foods, doner, which is an economical meat product with high nutritional value, has been reported to have a history of almost 4000 years in some sources, and the term doner was first coined by "Iskender Bey" 150 years ago (Al-Shadefat and Gürbüz, 2016).…”