Location: Methods and Application of Food Composition Laboratory
Project Number: 8040-10700-004-012-I
Project Type: Interagency Reimbursable Agreement
Start Date: Jun 1, 2021
End Date: Sep 30, 2025
Objective:
Concentrations of iodine, purines, and nitrates/nitrites in foods will be investigated. The iodine database will be expanded and literature searches for purines, glucosinolate and nitrates/nitrates, in foods will be initiated.
Approach:
Foods likely to contain measurable amounts of iodine will continue to be selected for the expansion of the Iodine Database; selection will be based on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 2013-19 Total Diet Study (TDS) and USDA's What We Eat in America Reports. The USDA and FDA analyses will include appropriate quality control materials and the most qualified academic, government or commercial labs. Foods for analysis include: dairy foods, seafood/products (especially finfish), seaweed/seaweed extracts, other iodine-containing commercial ingredients/additives, highly consumed commercially processed mixed dishes (especially those containing dairy and/or egg products), other foods determined to have significant amounts of iodine and foods which replace other major contributors of iodine (e.g., alternative plant-based milks). It should be noted that, using current data, four dairy and egg products contribute to two thirds of the national intake of iodine. Likely due to environmental exposure or supplements, extensive sampling and analysis of these and related products would be appropriate – variability information is vital to research.
These data are being mapped to NHANES dietary intake data for 2013-2020. This is underway for NHANES 2013-14 and developing a process going forward for the subsequent NHANES and trend analyses. It is especially important for assessing intake to urinary iodine excretion. From these analyses, iodine intake can be correlated with health outcomes.
The salt industry should be engaged to provide data exploring the degree to which iodized salt loses iodine through volatilization over time in households and other establishments, under varying storage, humidity and temperature conditions. In addition, information on sales of iodized and non-iodized salt should be obtained.
This ODS-MAFCL study of the iodine content of supplements will be connected to these data. This is especially important for maternal iodine intake where intakes that are either too low or too high can be detrimental or critical.
Scientific literature will be surveyed for data on the purine and nitrate/nitrite content of foods. Data will be compiled and development of a database will be initiated.
