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In Brazil there is a lack of food composition data and the nutrition professionals frequently need to consult compiled tables of international reference. It is known that the extrapolation of international food data to the regional level is not accurate and requires caution because it may result in nutritional problems. Thus, the purpose of this work was to determine and compare the organic‐mineral content of the main Brazilian cereals and legumes with those of the available reference in this country.

The chemical composition of the samples was examined according to AOAC methods. The energy value for each sample was calculated using the specific Atwater energy factors.

The moisture as well as lipids and ash content were found to accord with the consulted bibliography for most of the samples. The protein values were the same as those found by some authors and different from others.

The results obtained showed the need for elaborating a Brazilian food composition table able to better reproduce the real nutritive value of food produced in this country.