FNR : USDA ARS

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Food and Nutrient Research Group (FNR)

The mission of the Food and Nutrient Research Group (FNR) is to conduct research on the impact of environmental influences, agricultural production and practices, and food preparation methods on the composition of foods. Information derived from this research can be used in assessments of food and nutrient intake and health outcomes.

FNR also conducts research on foods from diverse cultures and promotes international cooperation in the development and harmonization of nutrient databases.

Current Projects
Publications
Scientist Bios

Jaspreet Ahuja is a nutritionist with expertise in food composition research as related to public health, national nutrition monitoring, and dietary exposure assessment. Her current research projects include:

Development of a dataset of ingredients used in high sales commercially packaged foods, and a thesaurus for the ingredients as listed on the packaged foods,
Optimization of techniques for estimating nutrient contents of commercial multi-ingredient foods including machine learning and mathematical modelling,
Improving availability of human milk composition data through national and international collaborations,
Development of approaches for identifying and sampling Foundation Foods.

Karen Andrews manages the Dietary Supplement Ingredient Database (DSID; https://dsid.usda.nih.gov), a joint project of the USDA and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Her current research projects include:

Development of national estimates, based on chemical analysis, for the nutrient content of:

Prescription prenatal multivitamin/mineral products
Calcium & calcium and vitamin D dietary supplements

Evaluation of the phytochemical content in comparison to label claims and the quality performance of botanical dietary supplements, including those containing green tea, turmeric and cranberry.

Pamela Pehrsson is an expert in the field of nutrition and food chemistry. Her current research projects include:

Research data for FoodData Central (FDC) and related nutrition research, including human breast milk,
Development of Dietary Supplement Database and related research,
Development of iodine data in foods and dietary supplements and estimates of US intake,
Research on carbohydrates in foods and impact of processing,
Member of the CODEX Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses Delegation, research and development of international standards for traded foods.

Janet Roseland is a registered dietitian with expertise focusing on nutrition research of animal-based foods. Her current projects include:

Development and interpretation of nutrient data on the content and variability of milk, eggs, beef variety products, lamb, and seafood consumed in the U.S., based on sampling designs appropriate for the research questions,
Research on iodine, vitamin D, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D content of eggs and milk, from the perspective of estimated dietary intake.

Xianli Wu is an expert in the field of food and analytical chemistry and nutritional biochemistry. His current research projects include:

Determining the impact of industrial processing and domestic cooking on the nutrients and bioactive compounds in fruits and vegetables,
Development of special interest database for dietary bioactive components,
Development of sampling and sample handling methods for the Foundation Foods Database,
Data acquisition and management for the Foundation Foods Database,
Development of analytical methods for certain dietary bioactive compounds.

Jaspreet Ahuja Selected Publications:

Ahuja, JK, Li Y, Haytowitz D, Bahadur R, Pehrsson PR, Cogswell M. Assessing Changes in Sodium Content of Selected Popular Commercially Processed and Restaurant Foods: Results from the USDA: CDC Sentinel Foods Surveillance Program. 2019. Nutrients, 11(8), 1754; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11081754.
Casavale KO., Ahuja J, Wu X, Li Y, Quam J, Olson R, Pehrsson P, Allen L, Balentine D, Hanspal M, Hayward D, Hines EP, McClung JP, Perrine C, Belfort MB, Dallas D, German B, Kim J, McGuire M, McGuire M, Morrow A, Neville M, Nommsen-Rivers L, Rasmussen KM, Zempleni J, Lynch CJ. NIH workshop on human milk composition: summary and visions. 2019. Am J Clin Nutr. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqz123.
Ahuja JK, Li Y, Nickle M, Haytowitz D, Roseland J, Nguyen Q, Khan M, Wu X, Somanchi M, Williams J, Pehrsson PR, Cogswell ME. Comparison of Label & Laboratory Sodium Values in Popular Sodium-contributing Foods in the United States. 2019. J Acad Nut Diet. Feb;119(2):293-300.e17. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2018.08.155.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 2018. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Legacy. Nutrient Data Laboratory Home Page, http://www.ars.usda.gov/ba/bhnrc/ndl.
Ahuja, JKC, Pehrsson, P, Haytowitz, D, Wasswa-Kintu, S, Nickle, M, Showell, B, Thomas, R, Roseland, J, Williams, J, Khan, M, Nguyen, QV, Hoy, K, Martin, C, Rhodes, D, Moshfegh, A, Gillespie, C, Gunn, J, Merritt, R, Cogswell, M. 2015. Monitoring sodium in commercially processed and restaurant foods. 2015. Am J Clin Nutr. 101: 622-631, doi:10.3945/ajcn.114.084954.
Ahuja, JKC, Moshfegh, AJ, Holden, JM, Harris, E. 2013. USDA food and nutrient databases provide the infrastructure for food and nutrition research, policy and practice. Journal of Nutrition, 143: 241S–249S, https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.112.170043
Ahuja, JK, Montville, JB, Omolewa-Tomobi, G, Heendeniya, KY, Martin, CL, Steinfeldt, LC, Anand, J, Adler, ME, LaComb, RP, Moshfegh, AJ. 2012. The USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies, 5.0. Worldwide Web Site: Food Surveys Research Group. Available: http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=12089.
Ahuja, JKC and Perloff, BP. 2008. Quality Control Procedures for USDA’s Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 21, S119-S124, 10.1016/j.jfca.2007.05.005.
Ahuja, JKC, Goldman, JD, Moshfegh, AM. 2004. Current Status of vitamin E nutriture. Annals of New York Academy of Sciences, 1031, 387-390, https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1331.052.
Chug-Ahuja, JK, Holden, JM, Forman, MR, Mangels, AR, Beecher, GR, Lanza, E. 1993. The development and application of a carotenoid database of fruits, vegetables, and selected multicomponent foods. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 93(3), 318-23, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0002-8223(93)91559-9.

Karen Andrews Selected Publications:

Andrews KW, Gusev PA, McNeal M, Savarala S, Dang PT, Oh L, Atkinson R, Pehrsson PR, Dwyer JT, Saldanha LG, Betz JM, Costello R, Douglass LW. Dietary Supplement Ingredient Database (DSID) and the Application of Analytically Based Estimates of Ingredient Amount to Intake Calculations. J Nutr 2018 Aug; 148(2):1413S-1421S. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxy092.
Andrews KW, Roseland JM, Gusev PA, Palachuvattil JM, Dang PT, Savarala S, Han F, Pehrsson PR, Douglass LW, Dwyer JT, Betz JM, Saldanha LG, Bailey RL. Analytical ingredient content and variability of adult multivitamin/mineral products: national estimates for the Dietary Supplement Ingredient Database. Am J Clin Nutr. 2017 Feb;105(2):526-539. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.116.134544.
Andrews KW, Pehrsson PR, Betz JM. Variability in vitamin D content among products for multivitamin and mineral supplements. JAMA Intern Med. 2013. Oct 14;173(18): 17523, doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.8759.
Andrews KW, Schweitzer A, Zhao C, Holden JM, Roseland JM, Brandt M, Dwyer JT, Picciano MF, Saldanha LG, Fisher KD, Yetley E, Betz JM, Douglass L. The caffeine contents of dietary supplements commonly purchased in the US: analysis of 53 products with caffeine-containing ingredients. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2007 389: 231. doi: 10.1007/s00216-007-1437-2.
Dwyer JT, Bailen RA, Saldanha LG, Gahche JJ, Costello RB, Betz JM, Davis CD, Bailey RL, Potischman N, Ershow AG, Sorkin BC, Kuszak AJ, Rios-Avila L, Chang F, Goshorn J, Andrews, KW, Pehrsson PR, Gusev PA, Harnly JM, Hardy CJ, Emenaker NJ, Herrick KA. The Dietary Supplement Label Database: Recent Developments and Applications. J Nutr. 2018 Aug;148(2):1428S-1435S. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxy082.
Pehrsson, PR, Patterson KY, Spungen JH, Wirtz MS, Andrews KW, Dwyer JT, Swanson CA. Iodine in food- and dietary supplement-composition databases. Am J Clin Nutr. 2016 Sep;104 Suppl 3:868S-76S. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.115.110064.
Roseland JM, Patterson KY, Andrews KW, Phillips KM, Phillips MM, Pehrsson PR, Dufresne GL, Jakobsen J, Gusev PA, Savarala S, Nguyen QV, Makowski AJ, Scheuerell CR, Larouche GP, Wise SA, Harnly JM, Williams JR, Betz JM, Taylor CL. Interlaboratory trial for measurement of vitamin D and 25(OH)D in foods & dietary supplement using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. J Agric Food Chem. 2016 Apr 27;64(16):3167-75. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.5b05016.
Saldanha LG, Dwyer JT, Andrews KW, Betz JM, Harnly JM, Pehrsson PR, Rimmer CA, Savarala S. Feasibility of including green tea products for an analytically verified dietary supplement database. J Food Sci. 2015 Apr;80(4):H883-8. doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.12838.
Roseland J, Holden J, Andrews KW, Zhao C, Schweitzer A, Harnly J, Wolf W, Perry CR, Dwyer JT, Picciano MF, Betz JM, Saldanha LG, Yetley E, Fisher K, Sharpless K. (2008) Dietary supplement ingredient database (DSID): preliminary USDA studies on composition of adult multivitamin-mineral supplements. J Food Comp Anal. 21: S69-S77, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3846171/.
Wolf WR, Andrews KW. A system for defining reference materials applicable to all food matrices. Fresenius J Anal Chem (1995) 352: 73. doi: 10.1007/BF00322300.

Pamela Pehrsson Selected Publications:

Phillips KM, Haytowitz DB, Pehrsson PR. 2019. Implications of Two Different Methods for Analyzing Total Dietary Fiber in Foods for Food Composition Databases. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. https//doi.org/10/1016/j.jfca.2019.103253.
Casavale KO, Ahuja JK, Wu X, Li Y, Quam J, Olsen R, Pehrsson P et al. 2019. NIH Workshop on human milk composition: summary and visions. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In press, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqz123.
Wu X, Jackson RT, Khan SA, Ahuja J, Pehrsson PR. Human Milk Nutrient Composition in the United States: Current Knowledge, Challenges and Research Needs. Current Developments in Nutrition. 2018. 2(7) nzy025. https://doi.10.1093/cdn/nzy025.
Maalouf J, Cogswell ME, Bates M, Keming Y, Scanlon KS, Pehrsson P, Gunn JP, Merritt RK. 2017. Sodium, Sugar and Fat Content of Complimentary Infant and Toddler Foods Sold in the United State, 2015. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 105:1443–52. https://doi: 10.3945/ajcn.116.142653.
Haytowitz, DB and Pehrsson, PR. 2017. USDA’s National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program (NFNAP) Produces High-Quality Data for USDA Food Composition Databases: Two Decades of Collaboration. Food Chemistry. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.11.082.
Andrews KW, Roseland JM, Holden JM, Gusev PA, Palachuvattil J, Dang PT, Savarala S, Han F, Pehrsson PR, Douglass LW, Dwyer JT, Betz JM, Saldanha LG, Gahche JJ, Bailey RL. 2017. Analytical ingredient content and variability of adult multivitamin/mineral products: National estimates for the Dietary Supplement Ingredient Database (DSID). American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. doi: 10.3945/ajcn116.134544 and Feb, 2017; 105;526-39.
Wu X, Sun J, Haytowitz D, Harnly J, Chen P, Pehrsson P. 2017. Challenges of Developing a Valid Dietary Glucosinolate Database. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, Special Edition. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2017.07.014.
Ahuja JK, Pehrsson PR, Cogswell ME. 2016. A Comparison of Concentrations of Sodium and Related Nutrients (Potassium, Total Dietary Fiber, Total and Saturated Fat, and Total Sugar) in Private-Label and National Brands of Popular, Sodium-Contributing, Commercially Packaged Foods in the United States. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2017 May;117(5):770-777.e17. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2016.12.001.
Pehrsson PR, Haytowitz DB. Food Composition Databases In: Encyclopedia of Food and Health. 2015. Elsevier. Online Sept. 18, 2015. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-384947-2.00308-1.
Pehrsson P, Patterson K, Spungen J, Wirtz M, Andrews K, Dwyer J, Swanson C. 2016. Iodine in food and dietary supplement composition databases. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.115.110064.

Janet Roseland Selected Publications:

Wu B, Roseland JM, Haytowitz DB, Pehrsson PR, Ershow AG. 2019. Availability and quality of published data on the purine content of foods, alcoholic beverages, and dietary supplements. J Food Composition and Analysis. Available online 11 August 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2019.103281.
Ahuja JKC, Li Y, Nickle MS, Haytowitz DB, Roseland JM, Nguyen Q, Khan M, Wu X, Somanchi M, Williams J, Pehrsson PR, Cogswell M. 2018. Comparison of label and laboratory sodium values in popular sodium-contributing foods in the United States. J. Academy of Nutr & Diet. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2018.08.155.
Roseland JM, Nguyen QV, Douglass LW, Patterson KY, Howe JC, Williams JR, Thompson LD, Brooks JC, Woerner DR, Engle TE, Savell JW, Gehring KB, Cifelli AM, McNeill SH. 2017. Fatty Acid, cholesterol, vitamin, and mineral content of cooked beef cuts from a national study. J Food Composition and Analysis 66:55-64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2017.12.003.
Williams JR, Roseland JM, Nguyen QV, Howe JC, Patterson KY, Pehrsson PR, Thompson LD. 2017. Nutrient composition and retention in whole turkeys with and without added solution. Poultry Sci 96 (10): 3586–3592. http://dx.doi.org/10.3382/ps/pex165.
Roseland JM, Phillips KM, Patterson KY, Pehrsson PR, Taylor CL. 2016. Vitamin D in Foods: an evolution of knowledge; chapter in Vitamin D, Volume 2: Health, Disease and Therapeutics, Fourth Edition, 2:41-77. Editors: Feldman D, Pike W, Bouillon R, Giovannucci E, Goltzman D, Hewison M. Publisher:Elsevier, Cambridge, US. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-809963-6.00060-2.
Taylor CL, Roseland JM, Coates PM, Pehrsson PR. 2016. The emerging issue of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D in foods, Letter to the Editor. Journal of Nutrition 146:855–856. https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.115.228510.
Andrews KW, Roseland JM, Gusev PA, Palachuvattil J, Dang PT, Savarala S, Han F, Pehrsson PR, Douglass LW, Dwyer JT Betz JM, Saldanha LG, Bailey RL. 2017. Analytical content and variability of vitamins and minerals in adult multivitamin/mineral products: National estimates for the Dietary Supplement Ingredient Database (DSID). Am J Clin Nutr. 05(2):526-539. doi:10.3945/ajcn.116.134544.
Roseland JM, Patterson KY, Andrews KW, Phillips KM, Phillips MM, Pehrsson PR, Dufresne GL, Jakobsen J, Gusev PA, Savarala S, Nguyen QV, Makowski AJ, Scheuerell CR, Larouche GP, Wise SA, Harnly JM, Williams JR, Betz JM, Taylor CL. 2015. Interlaboratory trial for measurement of vitamin D and 25(OH)D in foods & a dietary supplement using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 64 (16), pp 3167–3175 http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.5b05016,
Roseland JM, Nguyen QV, Williams JR, Douglass LW, Patterson KY, Howe JC, Brooks JC, Thompson LD, Woerner DR, Engle TE, Savell JW, Gehring KB, Cifelli AM, McNeill SH. 2015. Protein, fat, moisture, and cooking yields from a U.S. study of retail beef cuts. J Food Composition and Analysis 43: 131-139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2015.04.013.
Taylor CL, Patterson KY, Roseland JM, Wise SA, Merkel JM, Pehrsson PR, Yetley EA. 2014. Including Food 25-Hydroxyvitamin D in Intake Estimates May Reduce the Discrepancy between Dietary and Serum Measures of Vitamin D Status. https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.113.189811.

Xianli Wu Selected Publications:

Casavale, K. O., Ahuja, J., Wu. X., Li, Y., Quam, J., Olson, R., Pehrsson, P., Allen, L., Balentine, D., Hanspal, M., Hayward, D., Hines, E. P., McClung, J. P., Perrine, C., Belfort, M. B., Dallas, D., German, B., Kim, J., McGuire, M., McGuire, M., Morrow, A., Neville, M., Nommsen-Rivers, L., Rasmussen, K. M., Zempleni, J., Lynch, C. J. (2019). NIH workshop on human milk composition: summary and visions. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (in press). DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqz123.
Wu. X., Jackson, R. T., Khan, S. A., Ahuja, J., Pehrsson, P. R. (2018). Human milk nutrient composition in the US: Current knowledge, challenges and research needs. Current Developments in Nutrition. 2: nzy025. DOI: 10.1093/cdn/nzy025.
Cheng, H., Xu, N., Zhao, W., Su, J., Liang, M., Xie, Z., Wu. X., Li, Q. (2017). (-)-Epicatechin regulates blood lipids and attenuates hepatic steatosis in rats fed high-fat diet. Molecular Nutrition and Food Research. 61, (in press). DOI: 10.1002/mnfr.201700303.
Xie, C., Kang, J., Li, Z., Schauss, A. G., Badger, T. M., Nagarajan, S., Wu, T., Wu. X. (2012). The açaí flavonoid velutin is a potent anti-inflammatory agent: blockade of LPS-mediated TNF-α and IL-6 production through inhibiting NF-κB activation and MAPK pathway. Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. 23: 1184-1191. DOI: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2011.06.013.
Xie, C., Kang, J., Ferguson, M. E., Nagarajan, S., Badger, T. M., Wu. X. (2011). Blueberries reduce pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α and IL-6 production in mouse macrophages by inhibiting NF-κB activation and the MAPK pathway. Molecular Nutrition and Food Research. 55: 1587-1591. DOI: 10.1002/mnfr.201100344.
Xie, C., Kang, J., Burris, R., Ferguson, M. F., Schauss, A. G., Nagarajan, S., Wu. X. (2011). Açai juice attenuates atherosclerosis in apoE deficient mice through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Atherosclerosis. 216: 327-333. DOI: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2011.02.035.
Wu. X., Kang, J., Xie, C., Burris, R., Ferguson, M. E., Badger, T. M., Nagarajan, S. (2010). Dietary blueberries attenuate atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice by upregulating antioxidant enzyme expression. Journal of Nutrition. 140: 1628-1632. DOI: 10.3945/jn.110.123927.
Wu. X., Beecher, G. R., Holden, J. M., Haytowitz, D. B., Gebhardt, S. E., and Prior, R. L. (2006). Concentrations of anthocyanins in common foods in the United States and estimation of normal consumption. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 54: 4069-4075. DOI: 10.1021/jf060300l.
Prior, R. L., Wu. X., Schaich, K. (2005). Standardized methods for the determination of antioxidant capacity and phenolics in foods and dietary supplements. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 53: 4290-4302. DOI: 10.1021/jf0502698.
Wu. X., Cao, G., Prior, R. L. (2002). Absorption and metabolism of anthocyanin in elderly women after consumption of elderberry or blueberry. Journal of Nutrition. 132: 1865-1871. DOI: 10.1093/jn/132.7.1865.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Methods and Application of Food Composition Laboratory: Beltsville, MD