Fruits and vegetables are a source of galactose: implications in planning the diets of patients with galactosaemia.

It has become apparent that removing dairy products from the diets of patients with galactosaemia does not sufficiently diminish the deleterious signs. We have determined the amount of soluble monomeric galactose in 45 fruits and vegetables using capillary gas chromatography and selective ion monitoring. Galactose contents ranged from less than 0.1 mg per 100 g of tissue in artichoke, mushroom, olive, and peanut to 35.4 mg per 100 g in persimmon. Fruits and vegetables with over 10 mg per 100 g included date, papaya, bell pepper, tomato and watermelon. These results will provide important data for planning the diets of patients with galactosaemia.