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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BHNRC) » Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center » Methods and Application of Food Composition Laboratory » Research » Research Project #427498

Research Project: Development of Databases on Food Composition (CDC)

Location: Methods and Application of Food Composition Laboratory

Project Number: 8040-52000-068-033-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 22, 2014
End Date: Sep 21, 2019

Objective:
Objective 1. Develop and expand the USDA-ARS food composition databases to represent the dynamics of the U.S. food supply, including increased use of commercially packaged foods, restaurant foods, school foods, and ethnic foods. (NP107; C2, PS 2A; C3, PS 3A) Sub-Objective 1.A. Update the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR) to represent the dynamics of the current U.S. food supply, including increased availability and variety of commercially packaged, restaurant, school, and ethnic foods. Sub-Objective 1.B. Expand and update existing food yield and nutrient retention factor tables to reflect current food preparation methods and food products. Sub-Objective 1.C. Provide nutrient composition data for use in the national survey, What We Eat In America (WWEIA), NHANES. Sub-Objective 1.D. Monitor sodium and related nutrients in commercially processed and restaurant foods in the U.S. food supply. Objective 2. Develop authoritative food composition databases for non-nutritive components that may promote health; examples include isothiocyanates and other sulfur-containing compounds. Expand existing databases, including flavonoids, to include more foods, variability estimates, and other information (cultivar, weather, growing conditions, etc.), which impact the nutrient values. (NP107; C2, PS 2A; C3, PS 3A) Sub-Objective 2.A. Expand and update accurate representative values for a number of bioactive compounds in raw, processed, and prepared foods in different Special Interest Databases (SID). Sub-Objective 2.B. Develop a new Special Interest Database (SID) on the content of sulfur-containing bioactive compounds in selected foods, with special emphasis on variability and factors, e.g., cultivar, location, and growing conditions, which potentially could influence variability. Sub-Objective 2.C. Determine the effect of various preparation methods on the content of various bioactive compounds in selected foods.

Approach:
Improved food composition data and research focused on food composition change established through small and large studies on the changing composition of the U.S. food supply. In addition, emerging nutrients of public health importance will be studied and included in the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference and associated research products and databases. These include monitoring and analysis of key contributors of nutrients, School Lunch Program foods, ethnic foods, foods which contribute significantly to intake of sodium in the U.S. population, and contributors of emerging bioactive compounds which have shown potential in disease prevention. Using market share data and the established National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program, foods will be sampled and analyzed across the country, data will be reviewed, analyzed and compiled by NDL food specialists, and data will be disseminated annually.