Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BHNRC) » Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center » Nutrient Data Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #214178
Title: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 20

Author
item Gebhardt, Susan
item Pehrsson, Pamela
item Cutrufelli, Rena
item Lemar, Linda
item Howe, Juliette
item Haytowitz, David
item Nickle, Melissa
item Holcomb, Gwendolyn
item Showell, Bethany
item Thomas, Robin
item Exler, Jacob
item Holden, Joanne

Submitted to: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/1/2007
Publication Date: 8/28/2007
Citation: Gebhardt, S.E., Pehrsson, P.R., Cutrufelli, R.L., Lemar, L.E., Howe, J.C., Haytowitz, D.B., Nickle, M.S., Holcomb, G.T., Showell, B.A., Thomas, R.G., Exler, J., Holden, J.M. 2007. Usda national nutrient database for standard reference, release 20. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.NDL Home Page. Available: www.ars.udsda.gov/nutrientdata.

Interpretive Summary: The USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 20 (SR20) is the major source of food composition data in the United States and provides the foundation for most public and private sector databases. SR20 contains nutrient data for 7,517 food items for up to 140 food components, such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids. It replaces the previous release, SR19, issued in August 2006. SR20 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 expansion of nutrient values for total choline to all 2,800 foods used in the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Surveys (FNDDS) and the updating of many nutrient values in all food groups with new data from NFNAP, food companies, and the scientific literature. Additional items in the following food categories have been added to the database using data submitted by the food industry or generated by USDA through NFNAP: 19 traditional or subsistence foods collected for development of the American Indian/Alaska Native Foods Database; 40 bone-in and boneless Fast Food fried chicken items; 27 infant formulas; 225 brand name soups, sauces, and gravies; 5 less common grains (raw and cooked); 12 new chicken products; and 3 enhanced pork cuts (raw and cooked). A number of brand name items in Baked Products; Beverages; Meals, Entrees, and Sidedishes; and Soups, Sauces, and Gravies were deleted because products were no longer on the market or nutritional information does not reflect current market data. Update files are provided for users who have incorporated SR19 or earlier releases 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 (www.ars.usda.gov/nutrientdata) on the Internet. Currently the Web site program that searches SR is about 200,000 and is being accessed 100,000 times a month. Homepage unique visitors is estimated at 135,000. 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.

Technical Abstract: The USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 20 contains data for 7,517 food items for up to 140 food components when a complete profile is available for a food item. It replaces the previous release, SR19, issued in August 2006. Data in SR20 supersede values in printed USDA handbooks and previous electronic releases of the database. Major applications of SR include the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Surveys (FNDDS) developed by the Food Surveys Research Group of USDA. 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 expansion of nutrient values for total choline to all 2,800 foods used in the FNDDS. Additional items in the following food categories have been added to the database using data submitted by the food industry or generated by USDA through NFNAP: 19 traditional or subsistence foods collected for development of the American Indian/Alaska Native Foods Database; 40 bone-in and boneless fast-food fried chicken items; 27 infant formulas; 225 brand name soups, sauces, and gravies; 5 less common grains (raw and cooked), 12 new chicken products; and 3 enhanced pork cuts (raw and cooked). A complete list of the added food items is in the ADD_FOOD file. In addition, many nutrient values in all food groups have been updated with new data from NFNAP, food companies, and the scientific literature. These can be found in the CHG_NUTR file. A number of brand name items in Baked Products; Beverages; Meals, Entrees, and Sidedishes; and Soups, Sauces, and Gravies were deleted because products were no longer on the market or the nutritional information does not reflect current market data. 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. An update file for the database, intended for users who have obtained SR19 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 D, individual amino acids, 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.