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Abstract
Folic acid and total folate was determined to allow calculation of food folate and the mg of Dietary Folate Equivalent (g DFE) in fast foods and pizza. The total folate was measured after trienzyme extraction using microbiological assay by Lactobacillus casei spp. rhamnosus. Pizzas (125) and various fast foods (137) were studied. Quality control studies showed that accuracy, trueness and recovery of the analytical method met required standards. The folic acid content in pizzas ranged from 36 -73 g/100g, total folate from 69 -109 g/100g and g DFE ranged from 94-161.In fast foods, the folic acid content ranged from 9 -43 g/100g, total folate from 37 -73 g/100g and g DFE from 44 -91. Retention upon baking was quiet high for all pizza types except for folic acid in cheese pizza. Calculation of nutrient density showed that pizza and fast foods are excellent sources of folate.