Food Composition Databases: Does It Matter to Human Health?
Food provides humans with more than just energy and nutrients, addressing both vital needs and pleasure. Food habits are determined by a wide range of factors, from sensorial stimuli to beliefs and, once commanded by local and seasonal availability, are nowadays driven by marketing campaigns promoti...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Nutrients |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/8/2816 |
| _version_ | 1797522479816638464 |
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| author | Amélia Delgado Manel Issaoui Margarida C. Vieira Isabel Saraiva de Carvalho Anthony Fardet |
| author_facet | Amélia Delgado Manel Issaoui Margarida C. Vieira Isabel Saraiva de Carvalho Anthony Fardet |
| author_sort | Amélia Delgado |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Food provides humans with more than just energy and nutrients, addressing both vital needs and pleasure. Food habits are determined by a wide range of factors, from sensorial stimuli to beliefs and, once commanded by local and seasonal availability, are nowadays driven by marketing campaigns promoting unhealthy and non-sustainable foodstuffs. Top-down and bottom-up changes are transforming food systems, driven by policies on SDGs and by consumer’s concerns about environmental and health impacts. Food quality, in terms of taste, safety, and nutritional value, is determined by its composition, described in food composition databases (FDBs). FDBs are then useful resources to agronomists, food and mechanical engineers, nutritionists, marketers, and others in their efforts to address at maximum human nutrient needs. In this work, we analyse some relevant food composition databases (viz., purpose, type of data, ease of access, regularity of updates), inspecting information on the health and environmental nexus, such as food origin, production mode as well as nutritional quality. The usefulness and limitations of food databases are discussed regarding what concerns sustainable diets, the food ‘matrix effect’, missing compounds, safe processing, and in guiding innovation in foods, as well as in shaping consumers’ perceptions and food choices. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T08:29:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2997d17bbf7c425283f5cf191ca50cbf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T08:29:58Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nutrients |
| spelling | doaj.art-2997d17bbf7c425283f5cf191ca50cbf2023-11-22T09:06:33ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432021-08-01138281610.3390/nu13082816Food Composition Databases: Does It Matter to Human Health?Amélia Delgado0Manel Issaoui1Margarida C. Vieira2Isabel Saraiva de Carvalho3Anthony Fardet4Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, PortugalDepartment of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology of Sidi Bouzid, University of Kairouan, Sidi Bouzid 9100, TunisiaMediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, PortugalMediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, PortugalUnité de Nutrition Humaine, INRAE, Route de Theix, 63122 Saint-Genès-Champanelle, FranceFood provides humans with more than just energy and nutrients, addressing both vital needs and pleasure. Food habits are determined by a wide range of factors, from sensorial stimuli to beliefs and, once commanded by local and seasonal availability, are nowadays driven by marketing campaigns promoting unhealthy and non-sustainable foodstuffs. Top-down and bottom-up changes are transforming food systems, driven by policies on SDGs and by consumer’s concerns about environmental and health impacts. Food quality, in terms of taste, safety, and nutritional value, is determined by its composition, described in food composition databases (FDBs). FDBs are then useful resources to agronomists, food and mechanical engineers, nutritionists, marketers, and others in their efforts to address at maximum human nutrient needs. In this work, we analyse some relevant food composition databases (viz., purpose, type of data, ease of access, regularity of updates), inspecting information on the health and environmental nexus, such as food origin, production mode as well as nutritional quality. The usefulness and limitations of food databases are discussed regarding what concerns sustainable diets, the food ‘matrix effect’, missing compounds, safe processing, and in guiding innovation in foods, as well as in shaping consumers’ perceptions and food choices.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/8/2816food datanatural substanceshealth promotionsustainable foodsnational food composition databasesone health |
| spellingShingle | Amélia Delgado Manel Issaoui Margarida C. Vieira Isabel Saraiva de Carvalho Anthony Fardet Food Composition Databases: Does It Matter to Human Health? Nutrients food data natural substances health promotion sustainable foods national food composition databases one health |
| title | Food Composition Databases: Does It Matter to Human Health? |
| title_full | Food Composition Databases: Does It Matter to Human Health? |
| title_fullStr | Food Composition Databases: Does It Matter to Human Health? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Food Composition Databases: Does It Matter to Human Health? |
| title_short | Food Composition Databases: Does It Matter to Human Health? |
| title_sort | food composition databases does it matter to human health |
| topic | food data natural substances health promotion sustainable foods national food composition databases one health |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/8/2816 |
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