12th IFDC 2017 Special issue – Brazilian Nutrient Intake Evaluation Database: An essential tool for estimating nutrient intake data

Abstract

The Brazilian Food Composition Table’s Nutrient Intake Evaluation Database (TBCA NIE-DB) was created under the coordination of the Brazilian Network of Food Data Systems/University of São Paulo and the Food Research Center (FoRC). The TBCA NIE-DB is intended as a tool for nutritional intake assessment in Brazil. The data collected during the previous years, following the guidelines of the FAO/INFOODS, formed the basis for the TBCA NIE-DB’s elaboration, which prioritized analytical data on Brazilian foods. The elaboration steps included aggregating food with similar descriptions, filling in missing data, collecting recipes for composite dishes and calculating nutrient profiles by applying appropriate yield and nutrient retention factors, and developing the database. Currently, the database comprises data for 3437 food entries, including raw foods, manufactured products, and composite dishes, with 111,027 nutrient values for proximate composition, fat fractions, 10 minerals, and 10 vitamins (34 components). The TBCA NIE-DB is available online for free (www.fcf.usp.br/tbca). Because of its standardization criteria, this database contains nutrient data comparable across countries. Thus, it is a feasible supporting tool for dietary assessment tools, such as the National Dietary Survey of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (NDS/IBGE), and the recently adapted Brazilian version of the GloboDiet software.