STUDY REVIEW Brazilian Food Composition Database: Internet Dissemination and Other Recent Developments

AdatabaseoffoodcompositionwascreatedbyBRASILFOODS/USPtocentralizethe information obtained in the country and is available on the Internet (http://www.fcf.usp.br/tabela). This is the best device to launch this information, as itenablesadynamicdataupdateandalsoprovidesaneasierapproachatreducedcost.ThefirstversionoftheWebsitewascreatedin1998andhasbeenchangedaccordingtotheavailabilityofnewdataandtotheusers’needs.Thedatabasewaselaboratedconsideringthe aims and criteria conceived by INFOODS/LATINFOODS/SAMFOODS, targeting data validation and interchange. The main intent of thepaperistoillustrateaspectsrelatedtothedatabaseevolution(content,dataqualityevaluation, structure and difficulties) and its dissemination on the Internet. Theawarenessofpositiveandnegativeaspectsofthedatabaseandalsotheidentificationofthereasonswhichdeterminedthem,cancontributetoimprovethedatabaseasawhole. Based on these observations, a great number of activities is already beingcarriedoutasfollows:theoptimizationofthesearchbyfoods,theprocedureofdatacompilationand analysesofnewfoodsandnutrients,and alsothesearchfornewpartnershipsandgovernmentfinancialsupport.

[1]  F. Lajolo,et al.  Uniformização internacional de dados brasileiros de composição de alimentos , 1997 .

[2]  F. Lajolo,et al.  Dietary fiber and resistant starch intake in Brazil: recommendations and actual consumption patterns. , 2001 .

[3]  J M Holden,et al.  Carotenoid content of fruits and vegetables: an evaluation of analytic data. , 1993, Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

[4]  F. Lajolo,et al.  An Application of Criteria to Evaluate Quality of Dietary Fibre Data in Brazilian Foods , 2000 .

[5]  L. Masson.  LATINFOODS: Food Composition Activities in Latin American Countries, 1997–1999 , 2000 .

[6]  Deborah Bateson,et al.  INFOODS Guidelines for Describing Foods: A systematic approach to describing foods to facilitate international exchange of food composition data , 1991 .

[7]  F. Saura-calixto,et al.  Analysis of resistant starch: a method for foods and food products , 1996 .

[8]  John C. Klensin,et al.  Identification of food components for INFOODS data interchange , 1989 .

[9]  D. Rodriguez-Amaya.  Carotenoids and Food Preparation: The Retention of Provitamin A Carotenoids in Prepared, Processed, and Stored Foods , 2000 .

[10]  F. Lajolo,et al.  Modelos esquemáticos para avaliação da qualidade analítica dos dados nacionais de fibra alimentar , 1999 .

[11]  S. D. Pablo.  SAMFOODS: Food Composition Activities in South American Countries , 2000 .

[12]  D. A. T. Southgate,et al.  Food Composition Data: Production, Management and Use , 1992 .