ARS | Publication request: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 22

Submitted to: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: July 31, 2009
Publication Date: August 10, 2009
Repository URL: http://www.ars.usda.gov/nutrientdata
Citation: Gebhardt, S.E., Lemar, L.E., Pehrsson, P.R., Exler, J., Haytowitz, D.B., Patterson, K.K., Nickle, M.S., Thomas, R.G., Showell, B.A., Holden, J.M. 2009. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 22. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. Available: http://www.ars.usda.gov/nutrientdata.

Interpretive Summary: The USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 22 (SR22) is the major source of food composition data in the United States and provides the foundation for most public and private sector databases. SR22 contains nutrient data for over 7,500 food items for up to 143 food components, such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids. It replaces the previous release, SR21, issued in September 2008. SR22 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 the addition of vitamin D values listed in µg as well as IU, and the expansion of vitamin D values to all 2,900 foods used in the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Surveys (FNDDS). A new food group (# 36), Restaurant Foods, has been added to the database. At this time Restaurant Foods contains analytical profiles for 38 food items obtained from family-style restaurants, Latino restaurants, and Chinese restaurants. Two hundred and two new foods were added to the database using data generated by USDA through the NFNAP or submitted by the food industry. Among these are: ground pork at three fat levels, enhanced chicken breast, muscadine grapes, gold kiwi fruit, formulated bars, brand-name vegetable burgers, and energy drinks. As part of an ongoing effort to expand the number of Latino food items in the database, profiles for tostada shells, sweetened Latino breads, cakes, cookies, muffins, horchata beverage, fried green and fried yellow plantains, and dulce de leche have been added. Fatty acid profiles were updated for several highly consumed snack foods and fast food fried chicken where reformulations to low or no-trans oils have occurred. Update files are provided for users who have incorporated SR21 or earlier releases into their systems and want to perform their own updates. The data are available to search or download from the Nutrient Data Laboratory Web site (www.ars.usda.gov/nutrientdata) on the Internet. Currently, the Web site is being accessed over 200,000 times a month. A major application of SR includes its incorporation into 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 (NHANES). The expansion of vitamin D values to all FNDDS foods allows for the estimation of the dietary intake of vitamin D for respondents in the NHANES 2005-2006 which will be used by the Institute of Medicine Committee that has been convened to review Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin D and Calcium.

Technical Abstract: The USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 22 contains data for over 7,500 food items for up to 143 food components when a complete profile is available for a food item. It replaces the previous release, SR21, issued in September 2008. Data in SR22 supersede values in the printed Handbooks and previous electronic releases of the database. A major application of SR includes its incorporation into the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Surveys (FNDDS) by the USDA/ARS 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 SR database since the last release include the addition of vitamin D values, listed in µg as well as IU, and the expansion of vitamin D values to all 2,900 foods used in the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Surveys (FNDDS). A new food group (Group number 36), Restaurant Foods, has been added to the database. At this time Restaurant Foods contains profiles for 38 food items obtained from family-style restaurants, Latino restaurants, and Chinese restaurants. Two hundred and two new foods were added to the database using data generated by USDA through the NFNAP or submitted by the food industry. Among these are: ground pork at three fat levels, enhanced chicken breast, muscadine grapes, gold kiwi fruit, formulated bars, brand name vegetable burgers, and energy drinks. As part of an ongoing effort to expand the number of Latino food items in the database, profiles for tostada shells, sweet breads, cakes, cookies, muffins, horchata, fried green and fried yellow plantains, and dulce de leche have been added. A complete list of the added food items is in the ADD_FOOD file. Nutrient data were updated and expanded for: RTE breakfast cereals, cream of wheat, soy-based vegetarian products, onion powder, garlic powder, mustard seed, chilled orange juice, pumpkin and squash seed kernels (both dried and roasted), and rye flour. Fatty acid profiles were updated for several highly consumed snack foods and fast food fried chicken where reformulations to low or no-trans oils have occurred. These can be found in the CHG_NUTR file. A few margarines, some brand-name breakfast cereals, and a selected other items that are no longer on the market have been deleted. A complete list of deleted food items is in the DEL_FOOD file. The database is being provided in the two relational formats (ASCII and Microsoft 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. The Update file for the database, intended for users who have obtained SR21 or earlier releases 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 D2, vitamin D3, individual amino acids, individual fatty acids, individual sugars, fluoride, or betaine. The data are available to search or download from the Nutrient Data Laboratory Web site on the Internet http://www.ars.usda.gov/nutrientdata.