ARS | Publication request: USDA NATIONAL NUTRIENT DATABASE FOR STANDARD REFERENCE, RELEASE NO. 18, CD-ROM

Submitted to: CD ROM
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: September 15, 2005
Publication Date: September 16, 2005
Citation: Haytowitz, D.B., Gebhardt, S.E., Lemar, L.E., Cutrufelli, R.L., Howe, J.C., Pehrsson, P.R., Stup, M.A., Exler, J., Holcomb, G.T., Thomas, R.G., Showell, B.A., Holden, J.M. 2005. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release no. 18, CD-ROM.

Interpretive Summary: The USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 18 (SR18) is the major source of food composition data in the United States and provides the foundation for most public and private sector databases. SR18 contains nutrient data for 7,146 food items for up to 136 food components, such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids. It replaces the previous release, SR17 issued in August 2004. SR18 includes new 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 SR database since the last release include: updated and expanded data for a variety of food items, including different types of French fried potatoes and mushrooms; baked products; industrial wheat flours; baby foods and infant formulas; sweeteners; and beverages including bottled waters, brand name sports drinks, energy drinks, wine, and beer. Seventy-two new food items representing 12 new beef cuts, e.g., shoulder tender medallions, recently introduced to the retail market were added. Data for USDA Commodity ready-to-eat breakfast cereals were added, which expands the available data on USDA Commodities. These are used in USDA nutrition assistance programs such as the National School Lunch Program and the Food Distribution Program on Indian reservations. Data for brand name fast food items have been added including 28 thick, thin and regular crust pizza items. Nutrient values for added vitamin E and added vitamin B12 for all foods used in the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Surveys (FNDDS) have been added. Formulations that previously used retail fats and oils were recalculated using new data for industrial fats and oils that were released in SR17. 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 SR17 into their systems and wish to perform their own updates. The data are also available to search or download from the Nutrient Data Laboratory Web site on the Internet. Other special interest databases and publications produced by NDL, including the recently released special interest database on fluoride are also included on the CD-ROM. Major applications of SR include the development of the FNDDS by the Food Surveys Research Group. The FNDDS is used to process dietary data records from the survey What We Eat in America, the dietary intake component of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Technical Abstract: The USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 18 contains data for 7,146 food items for up to 136 food components when a complete profile is available for a food item. It replaces the previous release, SR17, issued in August 2004. Data in SR18 supersede values in the printed Handbooks and previous electronic releases of the database. Major applications of SR include the development of the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Surveys (FNDDS) by the Food Surveys Research Group. The FNDDS is used to process dietary data records from the survey What We Eat in America, the dietary intake component of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Major changes made to the database since the last release include: updated and expanded data for a variety of food items, including different types of French fried potatoes; several types of mushrooms; bagels; English muffins; frozen pancakes; frozen waffles; industrial wheat flours; vinegars; flaxseed; baby foods and infant formulas; frozen novelties; sweeteners; bottled, non-carbonated waters; brand name sports drinks and fitness waters; energy drink; cranberry juice drinks; wine and beer. Seventy-two new food items representing 12 new beef cuts, e.g., shoulder tender medallions, recently introduced to the retail market were added. USDA Commodity ready-to-eat breakfast cereals were added, which expands the available data on USDA Commodities. These are used in USDA nutrition assistance programs such as the National School Lunch Program and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations. Data for brand name fast food items have been added including 28 thick, thin and regular crust pizza items. Nutrient values for added Vitamin E and added Vitamin B12 for all foods used in the FNDDS have been added. Formulations that previously used retail fats and oils were recalculated using new data for industrial fats and oils that were released in SR17. 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 SR17 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 values for alcohol, caffeine, phytosterols, starch, theobromine, Vitamin D, or individual amino acids, fatty acids, and sugars. The data are also available to search or download from the Nutrient Data Laboratory Web site on the Internet http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp. Other special interest databases and publications produced by NDL, including the recently released special interest database on fluoride, are also included on the CD-ROM.