Food & nutrition

News and Updates

Ileana Pazos sits and smiles for a photo next to scientific equipment. She's holding tweezers next to the machine.

Spotlight: Research Chemist Ileana Pazos’ Radiant Role in Longer-Lasting, Safer Imported Foods

March 24, 2023

Fruits and vegetables brought in from outside the country first require health and foodborne pathogen inspections. NIST research chemist Ileana Pazos helps the

Picture of jars containing reference materials 8256, 8257, 8258, and 8259: Wild caught and aquacultured shrimp and salmon

Four NIST Reference Materials Help Authenticate Shrimp and Salmon

July 28, 2022

Four reference materials from NIST will help the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Customs and Border Protection agencies assess whether imported salmon and

Two open glass containers hold powder, one brown and one wite, with half-filled plastic scoops next to each.

NIST Tree Nut Reference Materials Support Food Allergen Testing

June 6, 2022

Researchers from NIST have developed hazelnut and almond flour reference materials that will help ensure accurate and consistent results for industry test kits.

Projects and Programs

Dietary Supplement Laboratory Quality Assurance Program (DSQAP)

Ongoing

Approximately 75% of the U.S. population takes dietary supplements, including vitamins and mineral supplements, representing an annual expenditure of more than $20 billion. Regulations, driven by reported cases of inaccurate labeling, adulteration, contamination (with pesticides, heavy metals, or

Health Assessment Measurements Quality Assurance Program (HAMQAP)

Completed

Participants in the HAMQAP measured concentrations of nutritional and toxic elements, fat- and water-soluble vitamins, fatty acids, active and/or marker compounds, and contaminants in samples distributed by NIST.   Samples that represent human intake (e.g., foods, dietary supplements, tobacco) were

Human Vitamin D Binding Protein in complex with 25-hydroxyvitamin D3

Development of Reference Materials and Methods for Vitamin D Binding Protein

Ongoing

Vitamin D is essential for bone health, and vitamin D deficiency can lead to rickets in children and osteomalacia (soft bones) in adults. Vitamin D status is typically monitored through measurement of the metabolite 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in serum. Most 25(OH)D is tightly bound to its

Classification Methods for the NIST Biorepository

Ongoing

NIST has been archiving biological and environmental specimens, including marine animal and environmental samples, for over 40 years. Currently, these biospecimens are stored at cryogenic temperatures in the NIST Biorepository located at the Hollings Marine Laboratory in Charleston, SC. Various

Publications

Value Assignment of Standard Reference Material® 1849b Infant/Adult Nutritional Formula I

August 26, 2024

Author(s)

Melissa M. Phillips, Bruce Scruggs, Elena Wood, Lee L. Yu, James H. Yen, Charles Barber, John Sieber, Laura Wood

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Standard Reference Material® (SRM®) 1849b Infant/Adult Nutritional Formula I delivers certified or non

Food Nutrition and Safety Measurements Quality Assurance Program: Exercise 2 Final Report

July 19, 2024

Author(s)

Melissa M. Phillips, Colleen E. Bryan Sallee, Carolyn Burdette, Steven J. Christopher

The Food Nutrition and Safety Measurements Quality Assurance Program (FNSQAP) was launched in 2021. FNSQAP was established to assist laboratories in the

Certification of Standard Reference Material® 2983 Inorganics in Geoduck Clam Tissue (Panopea generosa)

January 29, 2024

Author(s)

Colleen E. Bryan Sallee, Melannie Bachman, Steven J. Christopher, Debra Ellisor, Michael Ellisor, Jennifer Hoguet, Samuel Huntington, Caleb Luvonga, Amanda Moors, Dhayaalini Nadarajan, Tomohiro Narukawa, Jennifer Ness, Rebecca Pugh, James H. Yen, Lee L. Yu

Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2983 Inorganics in Geoduck Clam Tissue (Panopea generosa) is intended to be used for the evaluation of methods for the

Dietary Supplement Laboratory Quality Assurance Program: Exercise 1 Final Report

November 1, 2023

Author(s)

Carolyn Burdette, Hugh Hayes, Jenna Klingsick, Colleen E. Bryan Sallee, Charles Barber, Steven J. Christopher, Lee L. Yu

The DSQAP was launched, in collaboration with the NIH ODS, in 2007. The program was established to enable laboratories to improve the accuracy of measurements