The essential role of food composition databases for public health nutrition – Experiences from the Netherlands

Comparison between the sodium chloride content and labeled salt value of industrially prepared Japanese single dishes

Salt intake reduction is a global concern. In particular, Japanese consume higher amounts of salt than those of other ethnicities. The sodium content is mentioned on the label of industrially prepared dishes with an intention of reducing salt intake. This study aimed to evaluate the difference between the actual sodium content and labeled salt value of industrially prepared Japanese single dishes. Samples labeled "estimated" were collected and classified as Japanese, Western, and Chinese cuisines. The sodium content ranged from 180 to 1011 mg/100 g. The sodium content was higher than their reported values in other countries. Specifically, Chinese dishes contained high amounts of sodium, although the chloride content was similar across cuisine styles. Further, the molar ratio (i.e., sodium/chloride) had no significant effect on the difference between the actual content and labeled value. The measured salt contents were 20% higher than the labeled values. The results of decision tree analysis indicated that if the labeled salt value of stir-fried foods is determined by calculation, the actual sodium content is much higher than the labeled salt value. These findings are crucial for customers, dietitian, and researchers as they refer to the labeled salt value to determine the sodium content of industrially prepared foods.

Nutrient Composition of Four Dietary Patterns in Italy: Results from an Online Survey (the INVITA Study)

Though Italy is a native land of Mediterranean diet, its adherence in the Italian population is low, witnessed by the high rates of overweight in its inhabitants. Vegetarian dietary patterns (i.e., lacto-ovo-vegetarian and vegan) are increasing in western countries, and also in Italy, where 9.5% of the population self-declared as vegetarian in 2023. Though the vegetarian diet has been associated with beneficial health effects, speculation on its alleged nutrient inadequacy exists. For this reason, we assessed the nutrient composition of the diet of 470 participants enrolled in an online survey (the INVITA study), who completed a weighted food questionnaire on three different days. Participants were divided into four dietary groups obtained according to their self-declared dietary intakes: 116 Meat Eaters (MEs), 49 Fish Eaters (FEs), 116 Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarians (LOVs), and 189 VegaNs (VNs). The mean intake of most of the main nutrients was similar among all groups and within the normal range expected for the Italian population, supporting the adequacy of diets within our Italian sample, especially the LOV and VN diet. Since the Mediterranean diet is a plant-based diet, some of its components still persist in the current Italian diet, representing a staple also for people adopting a vegetarian diet.

Development of an Indian Food Composition Database

An open-access and comprehensive nutrient database is not available in India. Our objective was to develop an open-access Indian Nutrient Databank (INDB). The development of the INDB consisted of 2 stages: creating a database of the nutrient composition data of individual food items (n = 1095) and a database of commonly consumed recipes (n = 1014). The stage 1 database was primarily derived from the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Nutrition's Indian Food Composition Table (ICMR-NIN IFCT) from 2017, with gaps filled using the ICMR-NIN IFCT 2004 and nutrient databases from the United Kingdom and United States. The stage 2 database included information on the amounts of each ingredient used in each recipe, matched to a comparable item in the database from stage 1. This unique open-access resource can be used by researchers, the government, and the private and third sectors to derive nutrient intakes in India to better inform interventions and policies to address malnutrition.

Nutrition survey methods and food composition database update of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study

This study presents the nutrition survey methods and the updated food composition database for the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES). The KoGES, which is the largest and longest cohort study in Korea, aims to identify genetic and environmental factors associated with chronic diseases. This study has collected dietary data using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire and/or the 24-hour recall method. However, these dietary survey methods use different food composition databases, and their nutritional values are out of date. Therefore, it became necessary to update the food composition database by revising nutrient analysis values to reflect improvements in the performance of food ingredient analysis equipment, revising international values to analysis values of Korean agricultural products, adjusting nutrient units, and adding newly reported nutrients related to chronic diseases. For this purpose, we integrated the different food composition databases used in each nutrition survey, updated 23 nutrients, and expanded 48 new nutrients for 3,648 food items using the latest reliable food composition databases published by national and international institutions. This revised food composition database may help to clarify the relationship between various nutrients and chronic diseases. It could serve as a valuable resource for nutritional, epidemiological, and genomic research and provide a basis for determining public health policies.

Protein and energy intake in intensive care unit survivors during the first year of recovery: A descriptive cohort study

BACKGROUND

Many intensive care unit (ICU) survivors suffer long-term health issues that affect their quality of life. Nutrition inadequacy can limit their rehabilitation potential. This study investigates nutrition intake and support during ICU admission and recovery.

METHODS

In this prospective cohort study, 81 adult ICU patients with stays ≥48 h were included. Data on dietary intake, feeding strategies, baseline and ICU characteristics, and 1-year outcomes (physical health and readmission rates) were collected. The number of patients achieving 1.2 gram per kilogram per day of protein and 25 kilocalories per kilogram per day at 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after ICU admission was recorded. The impact of dietary supplementation during the year was assessed. Baseline characteristics, intake barriers, and rehabilitation's influence on nutrition intake at 12 months were evaluated, along with the effect of inadequate intake on outcomes.

RESULTS

After 12 months, only 10% of 60 patients achieved 1.2 g/kg/day protein intake, whereas 28% reached the advised 25 kcal/kg/day energy target. Supplementary feeding significantly increased protein intake at 3, 6, and 12 months (P = 0.003, P = 0.012, and P = 0.033, respectively) and energy intake at 3 months (P = 0.003). A positive relation was found between female sex and energy intake at 12 months after ICU admission (β = 4.145; P = 0.043) and taste issues were independently associated with higher protein intake (β = 0.363; P = 0.036). However, achieving upper-quartile protein or energy intake did not translate into improved physical health outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Continuous and improved nutrition care is urgently needed to support patients in reaching nutrition adequacy.

Nutritional Quality of Plant-Based Meat and Dairy Imitation Products and Comparison with Animal-Based Counterparts

While consumers are increasingly adopting plant-based meat and dairy imitation products, the nutritional quality and adequacy of those foods to act as a substitute is still under discussion. The Greek Branded Food Composition Database (HelTH) was expanded to map currently available meat and dairy imitations in Greece. Their main ingredient used, nutritional composition, and promotion as a healthy, nutritious food were described, and their overall nutritional quality using the Nutri-Score algorithm was evaluated. A total of n = 421 plant-based imitations were analyzed, made primarily of wheat or wheat mixes (83.5%) for meat imitations and grain (19.8%) or vegetable oil (17.1%) for dairy imitations. All meat imitations were high in protein and fiber, while, for dairy, only yogurts carried a protein content claim (80.9%). Imitation sausages, milk, and yogurt products had lower total fat and saturated fat content compared to their animal-based counterparts. All dairy imitations had lower protein content than animal-based dairy. The nutritional quality of imitation cheeses was graded as D-E, under the Nutri-Score system, compared to A-C for the animal-based cheese. Plant-based imitations have variable composition based on their main ingredient, and the substitution of specific food groups with plant-based alternatives may not support an equivalent or improved diet.

Food composition databases in the era of Big Data: Vegetable oils as a case study

Understanding the population's dietary patterns and their impacts on health requires many different sources of information. The development of reliable food composition databases is a key step in this pursuit. With them, nutrition and health care professionals can provide better public health advice and guide society toward achieving a better and healthier life. Unfortunately, these databases are full of caveats. Focusing on the specific case of vegetable oils, we analyzed the possible obsolescence of the information and the differences or inconsistencies among databases. We show that in many cases, the information is limited, incompletely documented, old or unreliable. More importantly, despite the many efforts carried out in the last decades, there is still much work to be done. As such, institutions should develop long-standing programs that can ensure the quality of the information on what we eat in the long term. In the face of climate change and complex societal challenges in an interconnected world, the full diversity of the food system needs to be recognized and more efforts should be put toward achieving a data-driven food system.

Labelling Assessment of Greek "Quality Label" Prepacked Cheeses as the Basis for a Branded Food Composition Database

A labelling assessment study of Greek prepacked “quality label” cheeses was conducted with a view to provide an overview of the whole category. In total, 158 prepacked products belonging to 19 “quality label” cheeses were identified in the Greek market. Among them, Feta had the highest share followed by Kasseri, Graviera Kritis, Kefalograviera and Ladotyri Mitilinis with 81, 16, 15, 11 and 9 products found in the market, respectively. For the rest of the 14 cheeses, the share was limited, ranging from 1 to 4. All labelling indications, nutritional information, claims and other labelling data were recorded and analysed in relation to their compliance against European food law requirements. The results of the analysis showed that for only 6 of the 19 cheeses, all products fully complied with EU labelling legislation. Among the 14 mandatory labelling requirements, the lowest overall compliance was observed for allergens declaration (65%). The analysis of the nutritional data showed a remarkable variability between cheeses and products. Differences in the nutritional characteristics were more pronounced among soft, semi-hard, hard and whey cheese. The above data were entered into an archival database. Application of global harmonisation and standardisation guidelines and tools lead to the initialisation of a branded food composition database (BFCD), conceptualising a specialised database for “quality label” foods.

Branded Foods Databases as a Tool to Support Nutrition Research and Monitoring of the Food Supply: Insights From the Slovenian Composition and Labeling Information System

Branded foods databases are becoming very valuable not only in nutrition research but also for clinical practice, policymakers, businesses, and general population. In contrast to generic foods, branded foods are marked by rapid changes in the food supply because of reformulations, the introduction of new foods, and the removal of existing ones from the market. Also, different branded foods are available in different countries. This not only complicates the compilation of branded foods datasets but also causes such datasets to become out of date quickly. In this review, we present different approaches to the compilation of branded foods datasets, describe the history and progress of building and updating such datasets in Slovenia, and present data to support nutrition research and monitoring of the food supply. Manufacturers are key sources of information for the compilation of branded foods databases, most commonly through food labels. In Slovenia, the branded food dataset is compiled using standard food monitoring studies conducted at all major retailers. Cross-sectional studies are conducted every few years, in which the food labels of all available branded foods are photographed. Studies are conducted using the Composition and Labeling Information System (CLAS) infrastructure, composed of a smartphone application for data collection and online data extraction and management tool. We reviewed various uses of branded foods datasets. Datasets can be used to assess the nutritional composition of food in the food supply (i.e., salt, sugar content), the use of specific ingredients, for example, food additives, for nutrient profiling, and assessment of marketing techniques on food labels. Such datasets are also valuable for other studies, for example, assessing nutrient intakes in dietary surveys. Additional approaches are also being tested to keep datasets updated between food monitoring studies. A promising approach is the exploitation of crowdsourcing through the mobile application VešKajJeš, which was launched in Slovenia to support consumers in making healthier dietary choices.

The “Healthy Meals” web app for the assessment of nutritional content and food allergens in restaurant meals: Development, evaluation and validation

Objective

The development and the evaluation of the Healthy Meals web app designed for professionals from different disciplines related to food, aimed to assess the nutritional and food allergen content of restaurant meals, was described.

Methods

App evaluation concerned: (1) usability, scored on a 7-point scale by 6 restaurateurs and 10 nutritionists through the Computer System Usability Questionnaire; (2) quality, scored on a 5-point scale by 10 nutritionists through the Mobile App Rating Scale; (3) validation, by two nutritionists through differences in entered nutrient contents. Ratings reliability was assessed by the interclass correlation coefficient.

Results

Users agreed with the web app usability (mean 5.6/7 points, SD 0.9), with moderate reliability among ratings (interclass correlation coefficient = 0.57; 95% CI, 0.18 to 0.82). The web app showed good objective quality (mean 4.0/5 points, SD 0.4), with excellent reliability among nutritionists (interclass correlation coefficient = 0.91; 95% CI, 0.85 to 0.96). For web app validation, no significant differences were observed between the two nutritionists’ data, with excellent reliability (interclass correlation coefficient = 0.98; 95% CI, 0.97 to 0.99). App data entry was identified as a point to improve.

Conclusions

The Healthy Meals web app designed for professionals related to food, such as restaurateurs, demonstrated to be usable, of good quality and valid for dishes nutritional assessment and food allergen identification. Points to improve were identified, while app effectiveness should be tested in trials.

Lactate content, total polyphenols and antioxidant activity of selected commercial yogurts from the Serbian market

One of the most popular dairy products worldwide is yogurt, which flavor is highly influenced by lactic acid content. Yogurts with fruit preparations contain polyphenols, secondary plant metabolites with proven antioxidant properties. As there is no data regarding neither lactate nor polyphenol content in commercial yogurts in Serbia, this study aimed to determine lactate and polyphenol levels, as well as antioxidant activity in selected yogurts. A total of 15 plain and 5 fruit yogurts with strawberry preparations were analyzed. Lactate contents were from 0.83 to 1.33%. Three plain yogurts in plastic containers differed in lactate content. There was no difference in lactate content among the same plain yogurts packed in plastic and Tetra Pack containers. Fruit yogurts with strawberry preparations differed in total polyphenol content in the range from 6.84 to 29.11mg GAE/100 g and antioxidant properties were determined by reducing power test (from 0.22 to 0.79) and DPPH assay (from 28.13 to 87.23%), while there was no difference regarding lactate. Our results provided new information about the levels of lactate, total polyphenols and antioxidant activity of selected commercial yogurts available on the Serbian market.

Lactate content, total polyphenols and antioxidant activity of selected commercial yogurts from the Serbian market

One of the most popular dairy products worldwide is yogurt, which flavor is highly influenced by lactic acid content. Yogurts with fruit preparations contain polyphenols, secondary plant metabolites with proven antioxidant properties. As there is no data regarding neither lactate nor polyphenol content in commercial yogurts in Serbia, this study aimed to determine lactate and polyphenol levels, as well as antioxidant activity in selected yogurts. A total of 15 plain and 5 fruit yogurts with strawberry preparations were analyzed. Lactate contents were from 0.83 to 1.33%. Three plain yogurts in plastic containers differed in lactate content. There was no difference in lactate content among the same plain yogurts packed in plastic and Tetra Pack containers. Fruit yogurts with strawberry preparations differed in total polyphenol content in the range from 6.84 to 29.11mg GAE/100 g and antioxidant properties were determined by reducing power test (from 0.22 to 0.79) and DPPH assay (from 28.13 to 87.23%), while there was no difference regarding lactate. Our results provided new information about the levels of lactate, total polyphenols and antioxidant activity of selected commercial yogurts available on the Serbian market.

Insight of nanotechnological processing for nano-fortified functional foods and nutraceutical-opportunities, challenges, and future scope in food for better health

In the twenty-first century food sector, nanotechnological processing is a new frontier that has vibrant impact on enhancing the food quality, nutritional value, food safety, and nano-fortified functional foods aspects. In addition, the added-value of various robust nano-scale materials facilitates the targeted delivery of nutraceutical ingredients and treatment of obesity and comorbidities. The recent advancement in nanomaterial-assisted palatability enhancement of healthy foods opened up a whole new area of research and development in food nanoscience. However, there is no comprehensive review available on promises of nanotechnology in the food industry in the existing literature. Thus, herein, an effort has been made to cover this leftover literature gap by spotlighting the new nanotechnological frontier and their future scope in food engineering for better health. Following a brief introduction, promises of nanotechnology have revolutionized the twenty-first century food sector of the modern world. Next, recent and relevant examples discuss the exploitation and deployment of nanomaterials in food to attain certain health benefits. A detailed insight is also given by discussing the role of nano-processing in nutraceutical delivery to treat obesity and comorbidities. The latter half of the work focuses on improving healthy foods' palatability and food safety aspects to meet the growing consumer demands. Furthermore, marketed products and public acceptance of nanotechnologically designed food items as well as future prospects are also covered herein.

Development of an Unified Food Composition Database for the European Project "Stance4Health"

The European Commission funded project Stance4Health (S4H) aims to develop a complete personalised nutrition service. In order to succeed, sources of information on nutritional composition and other characteristics of foods need to be as comprehensive as possible. Food composition tables or databases (FCT/FCDB) are the most commonly used tools for this purpose. The aim of this study is to describe the harmonisation efforts carried out to obtain the Stance4Health FCDB. A total of 10 FCT/FCDB were selected from different countries and organizations. Data were classified using FoodEx2 and INFOODS tagnames to harmonise the information. Hazard analysis and critical control points analysis was applied as the quality control method. Data were processed by spreadsheets and MySQL. S4H’s FCDB is composed of 880 elements, including nutrients and bioactive compounds. A total of 2648 unified foods were used to complete the missing values of the national FCDB used. Recipes and dishes were estimated following EuroFIR standards via linked tables. S4H’s FCDB will be part of the smartphone app developed in the framework of the Stance4Health European project, which will be used in different personalized nutrition intervention studies. S4H FCDB has great perspectives, being one of the most complete in terms of number of harmonized foods, nutrients and bioactive compounds included.

Identifying Nutrient Patterns in South African Foods to Support National Nutrition Guidelines and Policies

Food composition databases (FCDBs) provide the nutritional content of foods and are essential for developing nutrition guidance and effective intervention programs to improve nutrition of a population. In public and nutritional health research studies, FCDBs are used in the estimation of nutrient intake profiles at the population levels. However, such studies investigating nutrient co-occurrence and profile patterns within the African context are very rare. This study aimed to identify nutrient co-occurrence patterns within the South African FCDB (SAFCDB). A principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to 28 nutrients and 971 foods in the South African FCDB to determine compositionally similar food items. A second principal component analysis was applied to the food items for validation. Eight nutrient patterns (NPs) explaining 73.4% of the nutrient variation among foods were identified: (1) high magnesium and manganese; (2) high copper and vitamin B₁₂; (3) high animal protein, niacin, and vitamin B₆; (4) high fatty acids and vitamin E; (5) high calcium, phosphorous and sodium; (6) low moisture and high available carbohydrate; (7) high cholesterol and vitamin D; and (8) low zinc and high vitamin C. Similar food patterns (FPs) were identified from a PCA on food items, yielding subgroups such as dark-green, leafy vegetables and, orange-coloured fruit and vegetables. One food pattern was associated with high sodium levels and contained bread, processed meat and seafood, canned vegetables, and sauces. The data-driven nutrient and food patterns found in this study were consistent with and support the South African food-based dietary guidelines and the national salt regulations.

Food Composition Databases: Does It Matter to Human Health?

Food provides humans with more than just energy and nutrients, addressing both vital needs and pleasure. Food habits are determined by a wide range of factors, from sensorial stimuli to beliefs and, once commanded by local and seasonal availability, are nowadays driven by marketing campaigns promoting unhealthy and non-sustainable foodstuffs. Top-down and bottom-up changes are transforming food systems, driven by policies on SDGs and by consumer's concerns about environmental and health impacts. Food quality, in terms of taste, safety, and nutritional value, is determined by its composition, described in food composition databases (FDBs). FDBs are then useful resources to agronomists, food and mechanical engineers, nutritionists, marketers, and others in their efforts to address at maximum human nutrient needs. In this work, we analyse some relevant food composition databases (viz., purpose, type of data, ease of access, regularity of updates), inspecting information on the health and environmental nexus, such as food origin, production mode as well as nutritional quality. The usefulness and limitations of food databases are discussed regarding what concerns sustainable diets, the food 'matrix effect', missing compounds, safe processing, and in guiding innovation in foods, as well as in shaping consumers' perceptions and food choices.