Food Composition Database Flashcards
What was the name of chemical composition of food used in the past called?
Food Composition Tables (FCTs)
What is the name of the chemical composition of food used now called?
Food Composition Database/Data banks (FCDBs)
What do we use food databases for?
Understanding what has already happened in the past:
To evaluate food products/dishes/menus
To analyse an individual’s nutrient intake (dietary assessment)
To analyse the populations intake (Public health nutrition)
Gaining insight into what is to come:
To formulate products/dishes/ menus
To facilitate dietary advice for individuals
To contribute to public health nutrition strategies
Give the uses of food commotion tables/ food composition databases
Supporting industry for their product’s nutrition labelling
Providing the basis for defining dietary reference values
Formulating guidelines for healthy food and nutrition
Explains the history of UK composition of Food Database
Managed by food compilers in Norwich since 1978
Currently manages by food and Nutrition-National bioscience Research Infrastructure (NBRI)
Most recent publication: McCance and Widdowson The Composition of Foods
What is the name of the most common FCD in the UK?
The Composition of Food
What does the Composition of Food book include?
Information on 100+ nutrient attributes for over 1,200 food and drink items
How is data available in the UK?
Public Health England (PHE)
Responsible for maintaining up-to-fate data on the nutrient content of the UK food supply
Supports the National Diet and Nutrition Survey
Funds nutrient analysis of foods commonly consumed in the UK
How does UK food composition tables clamper with international tables?
Current UK food composition data complies with European standards
Integrated into a unified platform hosted by the European Food Information Resource (EuroFIR)
EuroFIR is a non-profit international association (Food compilers from 27 countries)
Develops and promotes harmonisation of high-quality food composition data and fosters co-operation and community development within compilers organisations
Founded in 2009
Who uses food composition tables?
Industry - Food service providers, Manufacturers, Retailers
Research Academics - Data Compilers, Epidemiology, Diet and Health Research
Food and Health Professionals - Dieticians , Clinicians
Big Data - Digital Technologies
Public Health - Nutrition Stakeholders, Policy Makers, Regulations
Consumers - General Public, patients
How are Food Composition Tables formulated?
Chemical Analysis of food
High quality analytical techniques
Recognised and described processes
Approved Laboratories
Food Scientists/ technologists/ chemists
Experts within tool data analysis
Give some reasons for why there is variability in food - Regina oil and other differences
Recipe (ingredients)
Composition of raw ingredients
Agriculture methods
Variety of plant species
Spoil the plants are grown in
Breed of animals
Age of animals
Cut of meat
Animals feed
Season
Food Processing
Packaging
Food Fortification
Storage
Cooking Method
Service System Method
Lab Analysis
Give the Limitations of Food Composition Databases
Difference in the development of food composition tables (e.g. nutrient calculations and sampling) can reduce comparability of nutrient data for specific foods across databases
Adequate training on food composition data use is recommended to comprehed and use the data in food composition tables
Food composition data are outdated or from other countries are sometimes relied upon to update the national FCDBs of low- and middle- income countries
Give some challenges and tips for using food composition database tables
Consider the accuracy of the food weight entered and misreporting
Missing value should not be treated as zero; this can lead to underestimation of nutrient intake
Do not use excessive decimal places - this accuracy is meaningless
Values for generic foods can be different to branded ones
Correct classification of foods
Check labels of processed foods for changes in fortification/formulation/ addition of antioxidants
Variation in the expression of units/conversion factors among different tables
Bioavailability is not taken into account in food composition data
Values for similar foods in different databases or in the same one published at different times can vary
Estimations of nutrient intake rely on combination of food composition data and on estimates of food intake
Give some future perspective of Food composition tables
Food tables will need to be updated regularly
No universal database exists to meet all of the needs of the user
Recent international collaborations have improved the compatibility of food composition databases
Focus on biodiversity within species
Traditional and ethic groups
Food bioactives (eg flavonoids, carotenoids, glucosinolates)
Potentially harmful components (pesticides, trans-fatty acids or acrylamide)
Nutrition and health claims in food labelling
