The Food Composition Database for an Italian Food Frequency Questionnaire

doi:10.1006/jfca.1996.0007

Journal of Food Composition and Analysis

Volume 9, Issue 1, March 1996, Pages 57-71

https://doi.org/10.1006/jfca.1996.0007 Get rights and content

Abstract

To interpret food consumption data from large epidemiological studies, extended, up-to-date, and country-specific food composition tables are needed. A food composition database was created for the analysis of dietary intake information from a large case-control study starting from a large, unpublished database developed by the National Nutrition Institute of Rome, Italy. The composition of 252 food items in terms of 29 nutrients was checked according to well-defined methods, and values for nutrients that were not included in that database were found from other sources. This is a first attempt to create a well-documented, computerized food composition database for use in an epidemiological study in Italy: this effort will be extended to a larger set of food items in a collaborative project involving several researchers and institutions in Italy.

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Combination method of updating FCDBs is found appropriate for generating reliable chemical composition data of large number of foods in adequate resources (Greenfield and Southgate, 2003; Salvini et al., 1996; Gnagnarellaa et al., 2004; Pennington et al., 2007; Rand et al., 1991). Due to the importance of chemical composition data, the quality and reliability of the information is essential for both analytical and compiled results (Rand et al., 1991; Lopes et al., 2015; Pennington, 2008; Harrison, 2004; Schakel et al., 1997; Salvini et al., 1996; Haytowitz et al., 2008). Among the various methods, direct method provides highly reliable data but is expensive whereas indirect method has less control over the quality.
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Food composition databases provide important data that can be used in a variety of ways to improve the nutritional quality of food and the health of the populations. The multicultural nature of European populations, together with increased travel and the globalisation of the food supply, has led to an increase in the consumption of ethnic foods by both mainstream and ethnic populations. However, the information that is available on the composition of ethnic foods is currently incomplete and fragmentary which both prevents effective health and disease interventions and limits the provision of dietary advice and information. One of the aims of the ethnic foods work package within the European Commission’s FP6 Network of Excellence EuroFIR is the provision of new and reliable data on the nutritional composition of ethnic foods from seven EU Member States and Israel for inclusion in national food composition databases. To achieve this goal, specific standards and mechanisms were developed to sample and analyse foods to harmonise procedures. Given the anticipated usage of the data it was essential that they were representative of the foods consumed in the country or region and that proper sampling procedures of the foods were employed. The most important nutrients were prioritised and analysed by selected accredited laboratories. The analytical methods selected were appropriate to fulfil the requirements of the resulting data. Quality assurance measures (ISO 17025, CRMs, IQC) were in place and the data accurately reflected the composition of chosen foods. This paper describes the procedures for producing validated new data for inclusion in forthcoming publications.
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The FFQ was aimed at assessing the usual diet during the 2 years preceding diagnosis (for cases) or hospital admission (for controls) and included questions on 78 foods, food groups, or recipes. Total energy intake was computed from the FFQ using an Italian food composition database.26 Information on Gleason score was available for 171 cases (78%) and on TNM staging for 112 cases (51%), because the interview for some cases was performed before surgery and no subsequent documentation was retrieved.
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Regular ArticleThe Food Composition Database for an Italian Food Frequency Questionnaire

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Regular Article
The Food Composition Database for an Italian Food Frequency Questionnaire