Concentrations of purine bases in soybean-derived food and in some Japanese food were quantitatively determined with the use of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). After hydrolyzation with 70% perchloric acid, each of the bases, adenine, guanine, hypoxanthine and xanthine were determined. Total purine bodies were calculated by the sum of each of the purine bases. Concentrations of purine bodies were as follows: food derived from soybeans: 21.9 - 63.5 mg/100g or 100mL; purine-rich vegetables: 39.1 - 171.8 mg/100g; beers: 0.18 - 8.26mg/100mL; Japanese snacks: 14.1 - 159.3 mg/ 100g or 100mL. It is recommended that the amount of dietary purine bodies consumed by a gouty or hyperuricemic patient be limited to 400 mg per day. Although purine concentrations in the food reported here did not exceed 200 mg/100g, overeating should be avoided and good dietary habits are commendable.
