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

Submitted to: Home Page
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: March 9, 2004
Publication Date: March 9, 2004
Publisher's URL: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp
Citation: Haytowitz, D.B., Gebhardt, S.E., Lemar, L.E., Exler, J., Pehrsson, P.R., Cutrufelli, R.L., Howe, J.C., Thomas, R.G., Holcomb, G.T., Showell, B.A. 2004. Usda nutrient database for standard reference, release no. 16, cd-rom. Available: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp Home Page.

Interpretive Summary: This CD contains USDA's National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 16 (SR16). 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 and contains nutrient data for 6,661 food items for up to 125 food components. Annual updates and expansions of this database are required to maintain accurate and current data for nutrition research, policy development, education and health assessment. Other datasets and publications, including the recently released USDA Database for the Flavonoid Content of Selected Foods, and the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) and PC versions of the search program for SR, are also included on the CD-ROM. This release includes new analytical 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. Other sources of new and revised data include: food companies, trade associations, and the scientific literature. 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 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES); 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 NHANES; 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. Data files for SR16 are in ASCII format, which users can import into programs on their own PCs. A MS Access 2000 database containing all the SR16 files and relationships, with a few sample queries and reports, is available. The data in SR16 are also available as page images and as reports sorted by nutrient content.

Technical Abstract: The USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 16 (SR16) contains data for 6,661 food items for up to 125 nutrients. 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 sections and four supplements of Agriculture Handbook No. 8. Major changes made to the database since the last release include, for the first time, values for individual carotenoids (beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene and lutein+zeaxanthin)and vitamin K; values for alpha tocopherol(vitamin E) have been expanded to include all foods used in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES); values for vitamin E reported as alpha-tocopherol equivalents have been dropped; values for total sugars, caffeine, theobromine, as well as individual carotenoids and vitamin K have been expanded to include all foods used in the NHANES; 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 a relational format in ASCII and as a MS Access database. There are four principal files: Food Description, Nutrient Data, Gram Weight, and Footnotes and five support files: Nutrient Definition, Food Group Description, Source Code, Derivation Code and Sources of Data. 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 (ASCII) and as a MS Excel spreadsheet. The abbreviated file does not include individual fatty acids, amino acids, individual sugars, individual tocopherols and tocotrienols, or phytosterols. Other datasets and publications, including the recently released USDA Database for the Flavonoid Content of Selected Foods, and the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) and PC versions of the search program for SR, are also included on the CD-ROM.