USDA Updates National Nutrient Database

WASHINGTONThe USDAs Agricultural Research Service released an updated version of its nutrient database that includes 200 new entries to the "USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 22.

The database, which replaces Release SR21 issued in September 2008, now includes more than 7,500 food items. Each food item is shown with an information profile that provides data for up to 140 food components, such as vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. Information is derived from a variety of rigorously evaluated sources, including USDA-sponsored laboratory analyses, food industry data and available scientific literature.

Among the 2009 updates, as many as 3,000 values for vitamin D have been included. Vitamin D values were added for 20 species of fish and also for types of foods that may be fortified with vitamin D during manufacturing or processing, such as milk, orange juice, ready-to-eat breakfast cereals, yogurt and some margarines. When available, values for two forms of vitamin D, vitamins D2 and D3, also were added.

SR22 also includes a new food group, "Restaurant Foods," which contains profiles for 38 food items obtained from family-style restaurants, Latino restaurants and Chinese restaurants.