A recent local study had advised to encourage consumers to increase the use of the traditional stove for cooking rather than using microwave oven; this would reduce loss of nutritious elements, also advised to avoid wrapping for cooking due to its harmful effect on health represented by the decomposition of the wrapper compounds in food during the cooking process.
The supported study by KACST had also advised not to use high temperature for cooking to avoid formation of Acrymilad in cooked foodstuff which is causing cancer. The study had also urged to educate community for the importance of using the traditional stove for cooking.
The researcher Maalim D/o. Hassan Al Mualim, of Princess Norah Bint Abdulrahman University had established a comparison between both cooking methods using the traditional stove and microwave for some commonly used types of vegetables to examine and study the effect of microwave in cooking these types of food, and then compare the same with those cooked in the traditional stove.
The researcher had cooked some of these foodstuffs in the traditional stove and others in the microwave, some of them with wrappers and others not wrapped , then she took samples from each group for biochemistry, and sensory analysis to evaluate the nutritious elements, vitamins, minerals and then evaluate the Acrimiland substance.
Samples cooked in the traditional stove had shown better results in all analysisi compared to samples cooked in the microwave in respect of nutritious contents. Samples cooked in the traditional stove are maintaining the high nutritious elements, while a decrease in humidity, protein, total carbohydrates, ashes, calcium, riboflavin (B2), thyamine (B1), phosphorous, magnesium, sodium, iron, vitamins C and E, beta-carotene were noted in all samples cooked in the microwave. Increase ratio of fats was noted in all microwave cooked samples when compared with those cooked in the traditional stove.
The study had also included estimation of offensive materials in all samples. The elevation of hydrogenous number was noted in all microwave cooked samples making the nutritious value more alkali compared to those cooked in the stove, while the nitrates, nitrites and acrylamids were elevated in all microwave cooked samples. The sensory evaluation results showed that samples cooked in the stove are much more acceptable than those cooked in the microwave whether in terms of food color, odor, flavor, taste or cooking standard.
Results of Biochemical blood tests performed or rats that are fed by processed fodder, showed a decrease in the rates of vitamins, mineral salts and renal functions in all groups that were fed by microwave cooked fodder compared to those fed by stove cooked fodder. Increase was noted in some liver enzymes and decrease in others in the samples fed by microwave cooked fodders compared to those fed by stove cooked fodder.
The study had revealed that sectional tissues of liver, kidney and brain of rats fed by stove cooked fodder are better than those fed by microwave cooked food. Also the irregular color spread was noted in addition to existence gaps and fat collection, atrophy of liver cells, dilation of blood vessels and biliary ducts the matter that caused stenosis of blood vessels due to hepatic cells inflation in rats fed by microwave cooked food.
The study had also noticed the existence of cavity in cerebral artery wall with some cell inflammations in addition to semi granulous fats in the internal artery cavity in the sample fed by microwave cooked fodder compared to those fed by stove cooked foods.