Introduction The USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR) is the major source of food composition data in the United States. It provides the foundation for most food composition databases in the public and private sectors. As information is updated, new versions of the database are released. This version, Release 25 (SR25), contains data on 8,194 food items and up to 146 food components. It replaces SR24 issued in September 2015 Updated data have been published electronically on the USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory (NDL) web site since 1992. SR25 includes composition data for all the food groups and nutrients published in the 21 volumes of “Agriculture Handbook 8” (U.S. Department of Agriculture 1976-92), and its four supplements (U.S. Department of Agriculture 1990- 93), which superseded the 1963 edition (Watt and Merrill, 1963). SR25 supersedes all previous releases, including the printed versions, in the event of any differences. In July 2001, when NDL converted to a new version of its Nutrient Databank System (NDBS), formats were changed and fields added to improve the descriptive information for food items and the statistical information about the nutrient values. While data in previous releases have been moved to the new NDBS, they may not have been updated through the complete system. Therefore, many of these new fields contain data only for those items that have been processed through the new NDBS and it will take a number of years before they are populated for all food items in the database. Data have been compiled from published and unpublished sources. Published data sources include the scientific literature. Unpublished data include those obtained from the food industry, other government agencies, and research conducted under contracts initiated by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS). These contract analyses are currently conducted under the National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program (NFNAP), in cooperation with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and other offices and institutes of the National Institutes of Health (Haytowitz et al., 2008). Data from the food industry represents the nutrient content of a specific food or food product at the time the data is sent to NDL. The values may change due to reformulations or other processing changes by individual companies between the time that SR is released and the next update of SR. Values in the database may be based on the results of laboratory analyses or calculated by using appropriate algorithms, factors, or recipes, as indicated by the source code in the Nutrient Data file. Every food item does not contain all of the nutrients/components released in SR. Specific Changes for SR25 The major changes to the database since the last release are listed below.  Nutrient profiles were added for new foods and existing nutrient profiles were updated for SR25 using data generated by USDA through the NFNAP or submitted Page 6 of 128 Page 7 of 128 2 by the food industry. Foods added or updated include: Greek yogurt, taco shells, canned spaghetti and meatballs, frozen chicken tenders, barbecue rotisserie chicken (breast, drumstick, thigh, wing, and back (with and without skin)), sliced ready-to-eat luncheon meats (bologna, chicken, and salami), and bacon (regular, low-sodium and pre-cooked), frozen meat and cheese lasagna, pot pie, dried and frozen egg products, protein shakes, regular and light mayonnaise, regular and light Italian dressing, lightly salted mixed nuts, and iced tea. A major focus of this effort was to expand and monitor those foods which are major contributors of sodium to the diet, as well as to provide data on formulated foods, produced by the food industry to replace food items in the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) which previously relied on home-prepared recipes. Nutrient data for other food items were updated and expanded in response to specific requests from the Food Surveys Research Group (FSRG) to support future releases of the FNDDS. A complete list of the added food items can be found in the ADD_FOOD file and the updated nutrients in the CHG_NUTR file. The formats of these files can be found on p. 40.  Over 200 food industry items for baked products and mixed dishes have been added for SR 25. Several generic items have been updated, as well. Sodium values have been reviewed and updated for over 100 foods in these groups.  A study was conducted to obtain nutrient values for specific cuts of raw Australian beef, veal, and lamb. Australian scientific collaborators sent samples to Texas Tech University, where they were homogenized, composited, and analyzed for nutrients needed for labeling. Beef cuts from grass-fed beef and from Wagyu beef (from cattle breeds originating in Japan) were analyzed. The grass-fed beef cuts were: boneless tenderloin, boneless top loin, boneless top sirloin cap-off, boneless ribeye roast cap-on, boneless bottom round ̧ boneless top round cap-off, and 85% lean ground beef. The Wagyu beef cuts, from two different Australian yield grades (yield grade 4/5 and yield grade 9), were: boneless tenderloin, boneless top loin, and small end rib roast. The veal cuts analyzed were rib roast, fore shank, and hind shank. Ground lamb sold as 85% lean was also analyzed.  A study was conducted to determine the nutrient composition of whole turkey. Whole turkeys, enhanced with added water, salt, and sodium phosphate, were obtained from 11 different retail locations according to the NFNAP nationwide sampling plan. Measurements of weight of meat, with and without skin, were determined. Samples were homogenized, composited, and analyzed at commercial laboratories for nutrient content in both raw and roasted forms. As a result of this study, data has been generated to create new SR items for these enhanced whole turkey items: light meat (with and without skin), dark meat (with and without skin), gizzard, heart, liver, neck, and skin. Nutrient profiles for many turkey items such as “fryer-roaster”, “hen”, and “tom” have been removed. This change has been made since the new SR25 turkey values represent one or more unidentified market classes. Page 7 of 128 Page 8 of 128 3  A study of non-enhanced/natural whole turkeys was also conducted. Since non- enhanced turkeys were not readily available in the NFNAP national retail locations, samples were obtained locally. Measurements of weight of meat, with and without skin, were determined. Samples of whole turkeys from 4 different retail outlets were homogenized, composited, and analyzed at commercial laboratories for nutrient content in both raw and roasted forms. As a result of this study data has been generated to update existing SR items, which are from non- enhanced whole turkey, for these items: light meat (with and without skin), dark meat (with and without skin), gizzard, heart, liver, neck, and skin.  Products, such as mixed dishes and breakfast cereals no longer on the market or without current data, have been removed. A complete list of deleted food items can be found in the DEL_FOOD file. The format of the file is given on p. 40.  The food group, “Ethnic Foods” has been renamed “American Indian/Alaska Native Foods” to better reflect its contents. Food Groups are described in greater detail below (p. 5).  A section on Notes on Foods has been added to the documentation and placed after the references. When the earlier paper copies of Agriculture Handbook No. 8, Composition of Foods: Raw, Processed, Prepared were released in separate sections by food group there was a section for each food group called Notes on Foods. The Notes gave additional information about the foods, such as the definitions of lean and fat for meats or enrichment for grain products. For some food groups, a brief description of research projects conducted to generate nutrient data were described. In this release Notes on Foods were added for Breakfast Cereals and Poultry Products. When applicable, “Notes on Foods” released earlier have been updated to include new information. Data Files The data files for SR25 are available in ASCII format and as a Microsoft Access 2003 database. A description of each field in these files and the relationships between each begins on p. 26. The Access database contains all the SR25 files and relationships, with a few sample queries and reports. An abbreviated file (p. 37), with fewer nutrients (46) but all the food items, is also included. A Microsoft Excel 2003 spreadsheet of this file is also provided. These database and spreadsheet files are generally compatible with later releases of the same software package or with other software packages released at the same time. Database Reports The data in SR25 are available as reports in two different presentations. The first presents items in SR25 as page images containing all the data for each food. These data are separated into files by food groups. The second presentation contains selected Page 8 of 128 Page 9 of 128 4 foods and nutrients in SR25. Those reports are sorted either alphabetically by food description or in descending order by nutrient content in terms of common household measures. The food items and weights in these reports are adapted from those in the “U.S. Department of Agriculture Home and Garden Bulletin 72, Nutritive Value of Foods” (Gebhardt and Thomas, 2002). Adobe Reader is needed to see these files. There is a link from the NDL web site to Adobe’s web site where it can be downloaded at no charge. Database Content The database consists of several sets of data: food descriptions, nutrients, weights and measures, footnotes, and sources of data. The sections below provide details about the information in each. More extensive details on many specific foods are available in the printed “Agriculture Handbook 8” sections (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1976-92). Food Descriptions This file includes descriptive information about the food items. For more details on the format of the Food Description file, see “Food Description File Formats” (p. Error! Bookmark not defined.). A full description (containing the name of the food with relevant characteristics, e.g., raw or cooked, enriched, color) and a short description (containing abbreviations) are provided. Abbreviations used in creating short descriptions are given in Appendix A. In creating the short description, the first word in the long description is not abbreviated. In addition, if the long description is 25 characters or less, the short description contains no abbreviations. Abbreviations used elsewhere are given in Appendix B. Brand names used in food descriptions are in upper case. Scientific names, common names, manufacturers’ names, amounts of refuse, and refuse descriptions are provided where appropriate. The common name field includes alternative names for a product, e.g., soda or pop, for a carbonated beverage. In addition this field also includes Uniform Retail Meat Identity Standard (URMIS) identification numbers and USDA commodity codes as appropriate. The food group to which the food item belongs is also indicated. A code is also provided indicating if the item is used in the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS; USDA, ARS, 2012). The factors used to calculate protein from nitrogen are included, as well as those used to calculate kilocalories. There are no factors for items prepared using the recipe program of the NDBS or for items where the manufacturer calculates protein and kilocalories. The refuse and refuse description fields contain amounts and descriptions of inedible material (for example, seeds, bone, and skin) for applicable foods. These amounts are expressed as a percentage of the total weight of the item as purchased, and they are used to compute the weight of the edible portion. Refuse data were obtained from NFNAP and other USDA-sponsored contracts and U.S. Department of Agriculture Handbooks 102 (Matthews and Garrison, 1975) and 456 (Adams, 1975). To calculate Page 9 of 128 Page 10 of 128 5 the “amount of nutrient in edible portion of 1 pound (453.6 grams) as purchased,” use the following formula: Y = V*4.536*[(100-R)/100] where Y = nutrient value per 1 pound as purchased, V = nutrient value per 100 g (Nutr_Val in the Nutrient Data file), and R = percent refuse (Refuse in the Food Description file). For meat cuts containing bone and connective tissue, the amount of connective tissue is included in the value given for bone. Separable fat is not shown as refuse if the meat is described as separable lean and fat. Separable fat generally refers to seam fat and external trim fat. Separable lean refers to muscle tissue that can be readily separated from fat, bone, and connective tissue in the intact cut; it includes any fat striations (marbling) within the muscle. For boneless cuts, the refuse value applies to connective tissue or connective tissue plus separable fat. The percentage yield of cooked, edible meat from 1 pound of raw meat with refuse can be determined by using the following formula: Y = (Wc/453.6)*100 where Y = percentage yield of cooked edible meat per 1 pound as purchased, and Wc = weight of cooked, edible meat in grams. Food Group. To facilitate data retrieval the food items in SR are organized into food groups. Currently there are 25 food groups, which are listed in the FD_GROUP file. For more details on the format of the Food Group Description file, see “Food Group Data File Formats” (p. 29). Starting with SR25, the food group, “Ethnic Foods” has been renamed “American Indian/Alaska Native Foods” to better reflect its contents. Data on other ethnic foods are contained in their respective food groups, for example data on plantains, a Latino ethnic food are in food group 9 (Fruit and Fruit Juices, while the Asian foods, miso and natto, are entered in food group 16 (Legumes and Legume Products). Food group 36 contains foods sampled at various restaurants (not fast food, which are in food group 21), and are different from the home prepared items or prepared frozen entrees included in Food Group 22, Meals, Entrees, and Sidedishes Some food items, such as beverages and rice, though obtained at restaurants are included in their respective food groups. At this time Restaurant Foods contains food items obtained from family-style restaurants, Latino restaurants, and Chinese restaurants. LanguaL. To address the needs of diverse users of the USDA food composition databases in addition to the food descriptions, starting with SR23 NDL is providing an expanded standardized food description for selected food groups (spices and herbs, fruits and fruit juices, pork products, vegetables and vegetable products, and beef Page 10 of 128 Page 11 of 128 6 products) based on the LanguaL Thesaurus (Moeller and Ireland, 2009). The use of this multi-hierarchical food classification system will permit the harmonization of food description terms and definitions across many cultures and languages to support food research, food safety, nutrition monitoring, and food marketing. LanguaL stands for "Langua aLimentaria" or "language of food". The work on LanguaL was started in the late 1970's by the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) of the United States Food and Drug Administration as an ongoing co- operative effort of specialists in food technology, information science, and nutrition. Since then, LanguaL has developed in collaboration with the NCI, and, more recently, its European partners, notably in France, Denmark, Switzerland, and Hungary. Since 1996, the European LanguaL Technical Committee has administered the thesaurus. The thesaurus provides a standardized language for describing foods, specifically for classifying food products for information retrieval. LanguaL is based on the concept that:  Any food (or food product) can be systematically described by a combination of characteristics or facets  These characteristics can be categorized into viewpoints and coded for computer processing  The resulting viewpoint/characteristic codes can be used to retrieve data about the food from external databases The current facets for foods in SR25 include: product type; food source; part of plant or animal; physical state, shape or form; extent of heat treatment; cooking method; treatment applied; preservation method; packing medium; container or wrapping; food contact surface; consumer group/dietary use/label claim; geographic places and regions; and adjunct characteristics of food. The specific tables added to SR are the LanguaL Factor File (p. 29) and the LanguaL Factors Description File (p. 30). For more information on LanguaL, see the web site: www.langual.org Nutrients The Nutrient Data file contains mean nutrient values per 100 g of the edible portion of food, along with fields to further describe the mean value. The following statistical attributes are provided to better describe the data:  Nutrient value – the mean of the data values for a specific parameter. Nutrient values have been rounded to the number of decimal places for each nutrient as specified in the Nutrient Definition file (p. 32).  Number of data points – the number of data points used to estimate the mean.  Standard error – the standard error of the mean: a measure of variability of the Page 11 of 128 Page 12 of 128 7 mean value as a function of the number of data points.  Number of studies—the number of analytical studies used to generate the mean. A study is a discrete research project conducted or reported for a specific food. A study can be the analysis of one nutrient in one food, one nutrient in many foods, or many nutrients in many foods.  Minimum value—the smallest observed value in the range of values.  Maximum value—the largest observed value in the range of values.  Degrees of freedom—the number of data values that are free to vary after certain restrictions are placed on the estimates; used in probability calculations.  Lower- and upper-error bounds—represents a range of values within which the population mean is expected to fall, given a pre-specified confidence level. For SR25 and related releases, the confidence level is 95 percent.  Statistical comments—provide additional details about certain assumptions made during statistical calculations. The definition of each comment is given after the description of the Nutrient Data file under “File Formats” (p. 29). Other fields provide information on how the values were generated, as follows:  Derivation code—gives more information about how a value was calculated or imputed. Procedures used to impute a nutrient value are described by Schakel et al. (1997).  Reference NDB number—indicates the NDB number of the food item that was used to impute a nutrient value for another food. This field is only populated for items which have been added or updated since SR14 for which an imputed value is provided.  Added nutrient marker—a “Y” indicates that a mineral or vitamin was added for enrichment or fortification. This field is populated for ready-to-eat breakfast cereals and many brand-name hot cereals in food group 08. In future releases, this field will be populated for other food groups, where applicable.  AddMod_Date—indicates when a value was either added to the database or last modified. This field was first added with SR24. Data, which have not been updated since SR14 (2001) carry the date when that section of AH-8 was published. When the nutrient values are reviewed, but not modified, there is no change in the AddMod_Data. Hence, the field may not accurately reflect the currency of the data. Dates associated with calculated values (carbohydrate by difference, energy, vitamin A (IU and RAE), and folate DFE) may carry newer dates reflecting their recalculation when other values in the profile of a particular food item were updated, though the values from which the specific value was calculated may not have changed. Only values added or modified since SR14 will have newer dates. To determine if the date has changed the values between the current and preceding releases are compared to the number of decimal places specified in the Nutr_Def table. The date associated with the source documents used to determine the mean can be found in the Src_Data file. The description of this file can be found on