Blood Folate Level Determined by a Microplate Reader and Folate Intake Measured by a Weighted Food Record

Microplate Reader를 이용하여 측정한 혈액의 엽산 농도와 실측량 기록법에 의한 엽산 섭취량

Microbiological method using a 96-well microplate reader for folate assay was established, and folate intake and blood folate concentrations of 23 female college students were assessed. To evaluate folate intake, dietary data were collected by a 3-day weight food record, and serum and RBC folate concentrations were measured by the new method. The coefficient of variation for the new method was less than 10%. Mean daily folate intake of the subjects was 126.7${\mu}g$ which is only 50.7% of the RDA. The mean concentrations of serum and RBC folate were 7.46ng/ml and 294.4ng/ml, respectively, which were within the normal range. These results indicate that folate intake seems to be underestimated due to incomplete food composition database. Therefore, folate database should be appropriately in order to asses folate intake accurately.