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

Research Grade Testing Material (RGTM 10212), Synthetic Fecal Metabolite Calibrant (Credit: NIST)

Synthetic Fecal Metabolite Calibrant Solution (RGTM 10212)

Ongoing

Metabolomics is an exciting and dynamic field in life sciences that harnesses cutting-edge technologies to identify and characterize small molecules, or metabolites, within cells, tissues, or organisms, collectively known as the metabolome. The wealth of evidence in the literature underscores the

Development of Methods for Measurement of Vitamin D and its Metabolites in Foods, Fortified Foods, and Dietary Supplements

Ongoing

Vitamin D exists in two forms: vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Vitamin D3 is produced in the body after sun exposure and is also the form used in most fortified foods. Dietary supplements may contain either vitamin D2 or D3. Measurement of vitamin D in foods and dietary

NIST PS1 Primary Standard for quantitative NMR (Benzoic Acid)

Completed

With explicit SI linkage, the overall impact of this apical reference material is profound—this primary standard, as well as forthcoming members of its class, provides technology transfer of chemical purity realization to the commercial sector for characterization of many thousands of organic

photo collage of meats, cheese, eggs, fish, and shellfish

NIST Food Safety Program

Ongoing

The Food Safety Program at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) provides advanced analytical chemistry and quantitative biology to ensure that food is free of contaminants and allergens and is authentic, promoting U.S. manufacturers’ participation in domestic and foreign markets

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