ARS | Publication request: USDA NATIONAL NUTRIENT DATABASE FOR STANDARD REFERENCE, RELEASE NO. 17

Submitted to: Home Page
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: August 9, 2004
Publication Date: August 9, 2004
Citation: Gebhardt, S.E., Pehrsson, P.R., Lemar, L.E., Haytowitz, D.B., Cutrufelli, R.L., Howe, J.C., Holcomb, G.T., Exler, J., Thomas, R.G., Showell, B.A., Holden, J.M. 2004. USDA National nutrient database for standard reference, release no. 17. Home Page. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp

Interpretive Summary: The USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 17 (SR17) is the major source of food composition data in the United States and provides the foundation for most public and private sector databases. It replaces the previous release, SR16-1, issued in February 2004 and contains nutrient data for 6,839 food items for up to 128 food components, such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids. This release includes data for a number of foods analyzed under the National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program (NFNAP); a program designed to 1) identify those foods that are the major contributors of nutrients to the U.S. diet 2) conduct a probability-based nationwide sampling of those foods and 3) analyze the samples under USDA supervised laboratory contracts. Major changes made to the database since the last release include: updated nutrient profiles for 14 legumes and legume products; revised a-tocopherol values in infant formulas to consider different activities of the all-rac and RRR forms of a-tocopherol; expanded frozen novelties and ice creams to include no sugar added, light and 98% fat free brand name items; added brand name fast food data where analytical data were available through NFNAP; and added data, including trans fatty acid levels, for 28 typical industrial oils, margarines, and shortenings designed for use in commercial food products. These industrial products are described by oil source (soy, canola, etc.) and by recommended usage (filling fat, salad and light frying, confection, etc.). Data for 19 Navajo foods and 71 Alaskan native foods were added as the first data for a new food group number 35, 'Ethnic Foods.' The new and revised data come from ARS sponsored contracts (NFNAP), food companies, trade associations, and the scientific literature. Update files are provided for users who have incorporated SR16-1 into their systems and wish to perform their own updates. The data are available to search or download from the Nutrient Data Laboratory Web site on the Internet. Currently the Web site is being accessed about 95,000 times a month.

Technical Abstract: The USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 17 (SR17) contains data for 6,839 food items for up to 128 nutrients when a complete profile is available for a food item. It replaces the previous release, SR16-1, issued in February 2004. Data in SR17 supersede values in the printed Handbooks and previous electronic releases of the database. Major changes made to the database since the last release include: updated nutrient profiles for 14 legumes and legume products; revised a-tocopherol values in infant formulas to consider different activities of the all-rac and RRR forms of a-tocopherol; expanded frozen novelties and ice creams to include no sugar added, light and 98% fat free brand name items; added brand name fast food data where analytical data were available through NFNAP; and added data, including trans fatty acid levels, for 28 typical industrial oils, margarines, and shortenings designed for use in commercial food products. These industrial products are described by oil source (soy, canola, etc.) and by recommended usage (filling fat, salad and light frying, confection, etc.). Data for 19 Navajo foods and 71 Alaskan native foods were added as the first data for a new food group number 35, 'Ethnic Foods.' The database is being provided in the two relational formats (ASCII and MS Access). There are four principal files; Food Description, Nutrient Data, Gram Weight, and Footnotes and six support files: Nutrient Definition, Food Group Description, Source Code, Derivation Code, Sources of Data File, and Sources of Data Link File. An update file for the nutrient data, intended for users who have obtained SR16-1 and wish to perform their own updates is provided. An abbreviated file is provided as a flat file and as a MS Excel spreadsheet. The abbreviated file does not include individual fatty acids, amino acids, tocopherols, sugars or phytosterols. The data are available to search or download from the Nutrient Data Laboratory Web site on the Internet http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp.