The US Agricultural Research Service launched an updated version of its flagship nutrient database yesterday, billed as the most authoritative source of food composition in the United States.
Managed by ARS' Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) in Maryland, more than 400 new entries have been added to the 'USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 16' - SR16 - for a total of 6,661 food items.
Each food item is shown with an information profile that provides data from among 125 possible food components, such as vitamins, minerals and fatty acids.
The database includes both generic and brand-name food items. The ARS says information is derived from a variety of rigorously evaluated sources, including USDA-sponsored laboratory analyses, qualified food-industry data and available scientific literature.
Among the upgrades, values for individual carotenoids and for vitamin K have been included for the first time. Carotenoids are a group of red, yellow and orange pigments in fruits and vegetables that may have beneficial health effects. They include beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene and lutein+zeaxanthin.
The nutrient profiles for many raw fruits, as well as raw and cooked vegetables, have also been updated, and the reporting of ready-to-eat breakfast cereals has undergone major updates, according to the ARS.
The ARS-BARC Nutrient Data Laboratory in Beltsville provides free electronic access to SR16 online from its website and via download onto certain personal computers, hand-held digital assistants and laptops. SR16 also will soon be available for purchase on CD-ROM.
To access SR16, go to www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp.