ARS | Publication request: USDA NUTRIENT DATABASE FOR STANDARD REFERENCE, RELEASE NO. 16

Submitted to: Home Page
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: September 4, 2003
Publication Date: September 4, 2003
Publisher's URL: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp
Citation: Gebhardt, S.E., Howe, J.C., Lemar, L.E., Haytowitz, D.B., Pehrsson, P.R., Cutrufelli, R.L., Exler, J., Thomas, R.G., Holcomb, G.T., De Jesus, V.P., Holden, J.M. 2004. USDA nutrient database for standard reference, release no. 16. Home Page. Available: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp.

Interpretive Summary: The USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 16 (SR16) 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, SR15, issued in August, 2002. It contains nutrient data for 6,661 food items for up to 125 food components, such as vitamins, minerals 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: values for individual carotenoids (beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene and lutein+zeaxanthin) and vitamin K have been included for the first time in the database; values for vitamin E reported as alpha-tocopherol equivalents have been dropped; values for alpha tocopherol(vitamin E) have been expanded to include all foods used in the Survey Nutrient Database (SNDB); other tocopherols and tocotrienols are reported when available from NFNAP; values for total sugars, caffeine, theobromine, as well as individual carotenoids and vitamin K have been expanded to include all foods used in the SNDB; many items previously only available in the Primary Nutrient Data Set (PDS), which was released as part of the technical support files with data releases of the Continuing Survey for Food Intakes of Individuals (CSFII), are now included in this database; nutrient profiles for 28 raw fruits and 23 raw and cooked vegetables have been updated; major updates have been made to brand name hot and ready-to-eat breakfast cereals; and analytical data for many beef retail cuts trimmed to 1/8" external fat replace calculated values derived by regression equations using values from beef retail cuts trimmed to 1/4" external fat and 0" external fat. 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 SR15 into their systems and wish to perform their own updates. The data are available to search or download from the Nutrient Data Laboratory Homepage on the Internet http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp. Currently the homepage is being accessed about 75,000 times a month.

Technical Abstract: The USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 16 (SR16) contains data for 6,661 food items for up to 125 nutrients when a complete profile is available for a food item. It replaces the previous release, SR15, issued in August,2002. Data in SR16 supersede values in the printed Handbooks and previous electronic releases of the database. However, SR16 may include many of the food composition data published in the 21 section and four supplements of Agriculture Handbook No. 8. Items that are no longer on the market have been deleted. Major changes made to the database since the last release include: values for individual carotenoids (beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene and lutein+zeaxanthin)and vitamin K have been included for the first time in the database; values for vitamin E reported as alpha-tocopherol equivalents have been dropped; values for alpha tocopherol(vitamin E) have been expanded to include all foods used in the SNDB; other tocopherols and tocotrienols are reported when available from NFNAP; values for total sugars, caffeine, theobromine, as well as individual carotenoids and vitamin K have been expanded to include all foods used in the Survey Nutrient Database; many items previously only available in the Primary Nutrient Data Set (PDS), which was released as part of the technical support files with data releases of the Continuing Survey for Food Intakes of Individuals (CSFII), are now included in this database; nutrient profiles for 28 raw fruits and 23 raw and cooked vegetables have been updated; major updates have been made to brand name hot and ready-to-eat breakfast cereals; and analytical data for many beef retail cuts trimmed to 1/8" external fat replace calculated values derived by regression equations using values from beef retail cuts trimmed to 1/4" external fat and 0" external fat. The data base 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. A series of update files, intended for users who have obtained SR15 and wish to perform their own updates is provided. The update files include add files, with completely new items; change files, with revised data; and delete files, indicating those items which have been removed. 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 Homepage on the Internet http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp.