Development of SICA-COR, a food composition information system for Costa Rica

The Costa Rican Food Composition Information System (SICA-COR) has been developed to address the increased demands for local food information by health workers, decision makers, food industry, international commerce, and consumers. It has a software application that allows updating and managing of information in a more versatile, cost-effective and accessible way than conventional food composition database systems. The purpose of this work is to present the development and current state of SICA-COR. The system was developed using four main steps, identification of available food composition data, sources and needs; data capture and quality evaluation; development of the SICA-COR software; and establishment of the database. SICA-COR has a validated, LATINFOODS-compatible information capture form which includes detailed descriptions of the data sources, food names, and quality parameters and allows for inclusion of data for more than 80 nutritional components per 100 g edible food. The software was developed using a Microsoft® SQL Server database engine and Java™. Of 1200 completed compilation forms, 83% fulfilled LATINFOODS standards and were incorporated into the database. Most of the data consists of values for energy, water, carbohydrate, fat, protein and ash. Pre-designed reports are available for specific and general end users such as members of the LATINFOODS Regional Center. The current SICA-COR Version (0.9) is a stand-alone application intended to eventually evolve to a web application. Specific actions to test and improve the software are underway.