Improving food composition data quality: Three new FAO/INFOODS guidelines on conversions, data evaluation and food matching

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.

Perspective: Opportunities and Challenges of Technology Tools in Dietary and Activity Assessment: Bridging Stakeholder Viewpoints

The science and tools of measuring energy intake and output in humans have rapidly advanced in the last decade. Engineered devices such as wearables and sensors, software applications, and Web-based tools are now ubiquitous in both research and consumer environments. The assessment of energy expenditure in particular has progressed from reliance on self-report instruments to advanced technologies requiring collaboration across multiple disciplines, from optics to accelerometry. In contrast, assessing energy intake still heavily relies on self-report mechanisms. Although these tools have improved, moving from paper-based to online reporting, considerable room for refinement remains in existing tools, and great opportunities exist for novel, transformational tools, including those using spectroscopy and chemo-sensing. This report reviews the state of the science, and the opportunities and challenges in existing and emerging technologies, from the perspectives of 3 key stakeholders: researchers, users, and developers. Each stakeholder approaches these tools with unique requirements: researchers are concerned with validity, accuracy, data detail and abundance, and ethical use; users with ease of use and privacy; and developers with high adherence and utilization, intellectual property, licensing rights, and monetization. Cross-cutting concerns include frequent updating and integration of the food and nutrient databases on which assessments rely, improving accessibility and reducing disparities in use, and maintaining reliable technical assistance. These contextual challenges are discussed in terms of opportunities and further steps in the direction of personalized health.

A New Comprehensive Index for Evaluating the Quality of Infant Formula under the Framework of Chinese Food Standards

Objective:

We proposed a new comprehensive index, the food quality index (FQI), to effectively evaluate food quality.

Methods:

The food quality index is based on chemical and biological indicators of the Chinese food standards framework. We evaluated the limit value regulations for infant formula standards and then established a comprehensive index and grading standard. Finally, we applied the index to evaluate data obtained from the Shenyang Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Institute.

Results:

The results showed that the quality of older infant and young children formula (OF) was good, and the infant formula (IF) was acceptable.

Conclusion:

The quality of OF was observably higher than that of IF, and they were significantly different with a p-value < 0.01. The most influencing factor of the IF and OF was minerals, followed by major components, optional ingredients, vitamins, and pathogenic bacteria had no effect. In IF, The number of the main influencing single indicators were 36 and 20 in IF and OF, respectively. Statistical analysis showed that index values of vitamins in the two kinds of milk powders were significantly different, with a p-value < 0.01. Optional ingredients were significantly correlated, with a p-value < 0.05.

Nutrient Composition of Popularly Consumed African and Caribbean Foods in The UK

(1) Background: Traditional foods are important in the diets of Black Africans and Caribbeans and, more widely, influence UK food culture. However, little is known about the nutritional status of these ethnic groups and the nutrient composition of their traditional foods. The aim was to identify and analyse African and Caribbean dishes, snacks and beverages popularly consumed in the UK for energy, macronutrients and micronutrients. (2) Methods: Various approaches including focus group discussions and 24-h dietary recalls were used to identify traditional dishes, snacks, and beverages. Defined criteria were used to prioritise and prepare 33 composite samples for nutrient analysis in a UK accredited laboratory. Quality assurance procedures and data verification were undertaken to ensure inclusion in the UK nutrient database. (3) Results: Energy content ranged from 60 kcal in Malta drink to 619 kcal in the shito sauce. Sucrose levels did not exceed the UK recommendation for adults and children. Most of the dishes contained negligible levels of trans fatty acid. The most abundant minerals were Na, K, Ca, Cu, Mn and Se whereas Mg, P, Fe and Zn were present in small amounts. (4) Conclusion: There was wide variation in the energy, macro- and micronutrients composition of the foods analysed.

Molecular annotation of food - towards personalized diet and precision health

Background

Personalized diet requires matching human genotypic and phenotypic features to foods that increase the chance of achieving a desired physiological health outcome. New insights and technologies will help to decipher the intricacies of diet-health relationships and create opportunities for breakthroughs in dietary interventions for personal health management.

Scope and Approach

This article describes the scientific progress towards personalized diet and points out the need for integrating high-quality data on food. A framework for molecular annotation of food is presented, focusing on what aspects should be measured and how these measures relate to health. Strategies of applying trending technologies to improve personalized diet and health are discussed, highlighting challenges and opportunities for transforming data into insights and actions.

Key Findings and Conclusions

The goal of personalized diet is to enable individuals and caregivers to make informed dietary decisions for targeted health management. Achieving this goal requires a better understanding of how molecular properties of food influence individual eating behavior and health outcomes. Annotating food at a molecular level encompasses characterizing its chemical composition and modifications, physicochemical structure, and biological properties. Features of molecular properties in the food annotation framework are applicable to varied conditions and processes from raw materials to meals. Applications of trending technologies, such as omics techniques, wearable biosensors, and artificial intelligence, will support data collection, data analytics, and personalized dietary actions for targeted health management.

Assessing dietary intakes from household budget surveys: A national analysis in Bangladesh

BACKGROUND

Accurate national information on dietary intakes, including heterogeneity among individuals, is critical to inform health implications and policy priorities. In low- and middle-income countries, household expenditure surveys constitute the major source of food data, but with uncertain validity for individual-level intakes.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate how individualized dietary consumption estimated from household survey data compared with individual-level 24-hr dietary recalls (24hR); and to assess potential heterogeneity by method for individualizing household intakes, dietary indicator, and individual characteristics (age, sex, education, religion, household income).

METHODS

We evaluated data from the 2011-2012 Bangladesh Household Integrated Survey (BIHS), which included household-level consumption data (5,503 households) and individual-level dietary data based on 24hR from these households (22,173 participants). Household and 24hR estimates were standardized and harmonized for 33 dietary indicators, including 9 food groups, total energy, 8 macronutrients, and 15 micronutrients. Individual consumption was estimated from household data using two approaches, the Adult Male Equivalent (AME) and per capita (PC) approach. For each dietary indicator, differences in household vs. individual mean estimates were evaluated overall and by strata of individual characteristics, using Spearman's correlations and univariate and multivariate linear regression models.

RESULTS

Individualized household estimates overestimated individual intakes from 24hR for all dietary factors using either estimation method (P<0.001 for each), except for starchy vegetables (AME: P = 0.15; PC: P = 0.85). For foods, overestimation ranged from 4% for seafood to about 240% for fruits, and for nutrients from 11% for carbohydrates and poly-unsaturated fats to 55% for vitamin C, with similar overestimation for the AME and the PC method. By strata, overestimation was modestly higher in men vs. women, in children (0-10y) vs. adolescents (11-19y) and adults (20-44y, ≥45y), among adults of higher (≥6y) vs. lower (<6y) education, in Muslims vs. other religions (Christians, Hindus), and for the lowest vs. all other income groups. This overestimation was notably higher in young children (0-5y) vs. all other age groups and in the lowest vs. all other income groups. Underestimation was rarely observed, for example for milk intake (-56%) in young children (0-5y). The PC approach did not capture heterogeneity in validity of estimation of different dietary factors by age, mainly in children (0-5y, 6-10y). Spearman's correlations between individualized household estimates and 24hR data were higher for the AME (0.30-0.70) than PC (0.20-0.50) approach. Findings were similar with and without multivariate regression, with proportions of variance (R2) in 24hR intakes explained by the AME being generally greater than PC estimates, yet still low to modest.

CONCLUSIONS

In this national survey, established methods for estimating individual level intakes from household surveys produce overestimation of intakes of nearly all dietary indicators, with significant variation depending on the dietary factor and modest variation depending on individual characteristics. These findings suggest a need for new methods to estimate individual-level consumption from household survey estimates.

Comparison of Iron (III) Reducing Antioxidant Capacity (iRAC) and ABTS Radical Quenching Assays for Estimating Antioxidant Activity of Pomegranate

Pomegranate juice (PJ) has total antioxidant capacity which is reportedly higher compared to other common beverages. This short study aimed to assess the total antioxidant capacity of commercial PJ and pomegranate fruit using a newly described method for iron (III) reducing antioxidant capacity (iRAC) and to compare with the ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid)) and Folin–Ciocalteu assays. Commercial PJ, freeze-dried pomegranate, and oven-dried pomegranate were analyzed. The calibration results for iRAC were comparable to ABTS and Folin–Ciocalteu methods in terms of linearity (R2 > 0.99), sensitivity and precision. The total antioxidant capacity for PJ expressed as trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) was 33.4 ± 0.5 mM with the iRAC method and 36.3 ± 2.1 mM using the ABTS method. For dried pomegranates, total antioxidant capacity on a dry weight basis (DB) was 89–110 mmol/100 g DB or 76.0 ± 4.3 mmol/100 g DB using iRAC and ABTS methods, respectively. Freeze-dried pomegranate had 15% higher total antioxidant capacity compared with oven-dried pomegranate. In conclusion, pomegranate has high total antioxidant capacity as evaluated by the iRAC and ABTS methods, though variations occur due to the type of cultivar, geographic origin, processing and other factors. The study is relevant for attempts to refine food composition data for pomegranate and other functional foods.

Global Dietary Surveillance: Data Gaps and Challenges

BACKGROUND

Detailed information on global individual-level consumption patterns is imperative for informed policy making. However, such data are dispersed and incomplete.

OBJECTIVE

To review and discuss the methodologies, observed data availability, challenges, and opportunities pertaining to global dietary surveillance.

METHODS

This investigation provides an extensive review of global dietary assessment methodologies and challenges, including at the survey level, the dietary collection and assessment level, and the dietary data processing and analysis level. The focus is on nationally representative individual-level data, and additional types of dietary data, such as dietary biomarkers, household assessment, and food availability, are reviewed as alternatives. Practical guidance is provided to inform key decisions when designing dietary surveys and collecting, analyzing, and using dietary data. This article further identifies and describes existing global and regional dietary initiatives/data sets.

RESULTS

Harmonized and standardized primary individual-level dietary data collection, processing, and analysis worldwide are currently not available. Evaluation and decision-making should be based on best available data, that is, secondary nonharmonized yet to the extent possible, standardized individual-level dietary data. Existing initiatives differ substantially in methodologies, including survey design/representativeness, coverage, diet assessment, and dietary metric standardization and processing. Data gaps have been identified that were more profound for certain countries, certain dietary indicators across countries, population subgroups, representativeness, or time periods.

CONCLUSIONS

Optimizing worldwide dietary habits to improve population health requires systematically identified and evaluated data on a continuing basis. Leveraging existing available dietary data and efforts is an indispensable prerequisite for informed priority setting targeting the intersections between diet and disease.