Updating the Portuguese food composition table

Lopes, Andreia; Ravasco, Francisco; Oliveira, Luísa; Fernandes, Paulo; Brazão, Roberto; Tomé, Sidney; Dias, Maria da Graça

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/8731

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Introduction: Food composition databases are essential for various stakeholders and purposes, namely: nutritional epidemiology, nutrient intake assessment, diets planning, training, literacy, food products formulation and recipes, and labeling. The Portuguese Food Composition Table (TCA) had its first edition in 1961, presenting now 42 components/nutrients, and since 2017 has been hosted on PortFIR’s website enabling several searches and download in Excel®. Data compiled in TCA are preferably obtained by chemical analysis of food samples, representative of food consumed by the population. Due to lack of funding, some values are generated based on several sources and calculations. Aims: Continuous development, updating and dissemination of food nutritional composition database to respond to stakeholder needs. Methodology: Food component values were generated according to EuroFIR’s compilation rules to assure international comparability, traceability and data quality. Recipe calculations were performed from the ingredients, corrected for retention and yield factors. FoodCASE® software was used to manage all food data, namely to document all values. In addition to compiling new food values, existing foods were reviewed regarding description, serving size, edible portion, market permanence and market changes of components contents. Results: The 2017 version included 1109 foods. From 2018 to 2021, the released versions, year by year, showed an increase of: 37, 129 and 32 new foods, and classification by FoodEX2 system. Since 2019, new foods were essentially identified according to the National Food and Physical Activity Survey (2015-2016), highlighting those consumed by the respondents declaring to follow a vegetarian consumption pattern. Since 2019, 11153 changes were performed including food description/elimination, addition of edible portions and value updates. For the next edition, new components, iodine and selenium were compiled. Conclusions: Updating the TCA is a complex and permanent task, carried out by INSA in accordance with internationally harmonized procedures. Data are available on PortFIR´s and EuroFIR´s websites.