Compilation of mineral data: Feasibility of updating the food composition database

The analysis of food components to create national databases is costly and time-consuming; thus, it is necessary to ensure that data compilation in these databases is performed accurately to ensure widespread availability. This research aims to create a Brazilian mineral database (BMD), using an accurate compilation of national information, and to evaluate data coherence by comparing the BMD to two other sources of food composition data. The information was compiled according to the guidelines proposed by the International Network of Food Data Systems. The BMD contains data for 22 minerals of 860 different foods. The data for calcium, iron, zinc and sodium of 15 foods from the BMD were compared with the analytical data available in the USDA National Nutrient Database (USDA) and in the Brazilian Food Composition Table (Taco), which contains data obtained by direct analysis of a representative national sampling. The comparison of the BMD with USDA data resulted in a high percentage of inconsistent values (62%) that result from the different profiles of foods and products consumed in each country and the ecosystem diversity. Moreover, the comparison with the Taco data resulted in consistent values for most evaluated mineral data (59%). Therefore, the compilation of national food data represents a feasible alternative for updating the Brazilian mineral database.