Measurements and Standards to Support Nutrition Labeling

Summary

The Chemical Sciences Division is working to provide food-matrix reference materials to facilitate compliance with nutritional labeling laws, provide traceability for food exports, improve the accuracy of label information for packaged foods, and contribute to studies of human nutritional status. Over 30 food-matrix Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) and Reference Materials (RMs) are available to support these measurement needs; examples include infant formula, baby food, meat homogenate, fish tissue, baking chocolate, peanut butter, spinach, and food oils. Efforts are ongoing to provide additional materials that are representative of foods with a broad range of fat, protein, and carbohydrate compositions.

Description

Nine sector food triangle used to categorize foods according to fat, protein and carbohydrate content.  The food icons provide examples within the various sectors, and the “+” data indicators represent reference materials with composition within the indicated sector. 

Credit: NIST

Well-characterized certified reference materials are needed by laboratories in the food testing and nutrition communities to facilitate compliance with labeling laws and improve the accuracy of information provided on product labels so that consumers can make good choices. As a result of the enactment of the Infant Formula Act of 1980 and the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990, the Chemical Sciences Division has worked to develop a series of food-matrix SRMs characterized for nutrient concentrations.

Food manufacturers and processors and analytical laboratories involved with the characterization of food composition will use the SRMs to develop and validate new analytical methods, to improve the quality of their analytical measurements, to provide a foundation to which label information can be linked, and as a component in achieving traceability. The SRMs are provided to help support compliance with a number of federal regulations enforced by the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Major Accomplishments

• Thirteen "total nutrient" SRMs are currently available with values assigned for proximates, vitamins, elements, fatty acids, contaminants, and cholesterol, as appropriate. An additional 16 SRMs have been produced for a more limited number of values assigned.
• Analytical methods have been developed for the measurement of targeted organic analytes based on isotope dilution mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry.

Additional Technical Details

The Infant Formula Act of 1980 and the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 (NLEA) were the original driving forces behind the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST's) introduction of food-matrix SRMs with values assigned for nutrients. Several food-matrix SRMs were issued prior to this with values assigned for elements. In response to these laws, NIST began to produce food-matrix SRMs with values assigned for organic nutrients. During this period of time, AOAC INTERNATIONAL developed a model for classification of foods into groups with similar composition. The AOAC food triangle is based on the relative levels of fat, protein, and carbohydrate and is divided into nine sectors. Each corner of the triangle represents either 100 % fat, protein, or carbohydrate content. The premise for this model is that foods within each of the nine sectors will offer similar analytical challenges for determination of nutrients. Over the past 15 years, NIST has worked to develop SRMs with proximate compositions that fall within each of the nine sectors of the AOAC food triangle. Foods from animal, plant, and mixed-matrix sources are represented in the SRMs that have been issued.

Associated Publications

1. Wise, S. A., "From urban dust and marine sediment to Ginkgo biloba and human serum-a top ten list of Standard Reference Materials (SRMs)," Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 414, 31-52 (2022). 

2. Zhang, K. and Phillips, M., "Opinion: Multi-Mycotoxin Reference Materials," Foods, 11, (2022). 

3. Christopher, S. J., Ellisor, D. L., and Davis, W. C., "Investigating the feasibility of ICP-MS/MS for differentiating NIST salmon reference materials through determination of Sr and S isotope ratios," Talanta, 231, (2021). 

4. Wise, S. A. and Phillips, M. M., "Evolution of reference materials for the determination of organic nutrients in food and dietary supplementsa critical review," Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 411, 97-127 (2019). 

5. Yu, L. L., Browning, J. F., Burdette, C. Q., Caceres, G. C., Chieh, K. D., Davis, W. C., Kassim, B. L., Long, S. E., Murphy, K. E., Oflaz, R., Paul, R. L., Sharpless, K. E., Wood, L. J., Yen, J. H., and Zeisler, R., "Development of a kelp powder (Thallus laminariae) Standard Reference Material," Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 410, 1265-1278 (2018). 

6. Phillips, M. M., Bedner, M., Reitz, M., Burdette, C. Q., Nelson, M. A., Yen, J. H., Sander, L. C., and Rimmer, C. A., "Liquid chromatography with absorbance detection and with isotope-dilution mass spectrometry for determination of isoflavones in soy standard reference materials," Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 409, 949-960 (2017). 

7. Place, B. J., "Evaluation of Method-Specific Extraction Variability for the Measurement of Fatty Acids in a Candidate Infant/Adult Nutritional Formula Reference Material," Journal of Aoac International, 100, 814-819 (2017). 

8. Wise, S. A., Tai, S. S. C., Burdette, C. Q., Camara, J. E., Bedner, M., Lippa, K. A., Nelson, M. A., Nalin, F., Phinney, K. W., Sander, L. C., Betz, J. M., Sempos, C. T., and Coates, P. M., "Role of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Support of the Vitamin D Initiative of the National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements," Journal of Aoac International, 100, 1260-1276 (2017). 

9. Phillips, M. M., "Liquid chromatography with isotope-dilution mass spectrometry for determination of water-soluble vitamins in foods," Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 407, 2965-2974 (2015). 

10. Camara, J. E., Lowenthal, M. S., and Phinney, K. W., "Determination of fortified and endogenous folates in food-based Standard Reference Materials by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry," Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 405, 4561-4568 (2013). 

11. Paul, R. L., "Determination of arsenic in food and dietary supplement standard reference materials by neutron activation analysis," Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 297, 365-370 (2013). 

12. Phillips, M. M., Sharpless, K. E., and Wise, S. A., "Standard reference materials for food analysis," Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 405, 4325-4335 (2013). 

13. Raju, C. S. K., Yu, L. L., Schiel, J. E., and Long, S. E., "A simple and sensitive LC-ICP-MS method for the accurate determination of vitamin B-12 in fortified breakfast cereals and multivitamin tablets," Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, 28, 901-907 (2013). 

14. Schantz, M. M., Sander, L. C., Sharpless, K. E., Wise, S. A., Yen, J. H., NguyenPho, A., and Betz, J. M., "Development of botanical and fish oil standard reference materials for fatty acids," Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 405, 4531-4538 (2013). 

15. Phillips, M. M. and Sander, L. C., "Microwave-Assisted Extraction and Quantitative LC/ID-MS Measurement of Total Choline and Free Carnitine in Food Standard Reference Materials," Journal of Aoac International, 95, 1479-1486 (2012). 

16. Phinney, K. W., Rimmer, C. A., Thomas, J. B., Sander, L. C., Sharpless, K. E., and Wise, S. A., "Isotope Dilution Liquid Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry Methods for Fat- and Water-Soluble Vitamins in Nutritional Formulations," Analytical Chemistry, 83, 92-98 (2011). 

17. Sharpless, K. E., Lindstrom, R. M., Nelson, B. C., Phinney, K. W., Rimmer, C. A., Sander, L. C., Schantz, M. M., Spatz, R. O., Thomas, J. B., Turk, G. C., Wise, S. A., Wood, L. J., and Yen, J. H., "Preparation and Characterization of Standard Reference Material 1849 Infant/Adult Nutritional Formula," Journal of Aoac International, 93, 1262-1274 (2010). 

18. Sharpless, K. E. and Duewer, D. L., "Standard Reference Materials for Analysis of Dietary Supplements," Journal of Aoac International, 91, 1298-1302 (2008). 

19. Sharpless, K. E., Thomas, J. B., Christopher, S. J., Greenberg, R. R., Sander, L. C., Schantz, M. M., Welch, M. J., and Wise, S. A., "Standard reference materials for foods and dietary supplements," Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 389, 171-178 (2007). 

20. Sharpless, K. E., Thomas, J. B., Duewer, D. L., Putzbach, K., Rimmer, C. A., Sander, L. C., Schantz, M. M., Wise, S. A., Yarita, T., and Yen, J. H., "Preparation and characterization of standard reference material 3276, carrot extract in oil," Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 389, 207-217 (2007). 

21. Sander, L. C., Sharpless, K. E., Satterfield, M. B., Ihara, T., Phinney, K. W., Yen, J. H., Wise, S. A., Gay, M. L., Lam, J. W., McCooeye, M., Gardner, G., Fraser, C., Sturgeon, R., and Roman, M., "Determination of ephedrine alkaloids in dietary supplement standard reference materials," Analytical Chemistry, 77, 3101-3112 (2005). 

22. Sharpless, K. E., Greenberg, R. R., Schantz, M. M., Welch, M. J., Wise, S. A., and Ihnat, M., "Filling the AOAC triangle with food-matrix standard reference materials," Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 378, 1161-1167 (2004). 

23. Wise, S. A., Sharpless, K. E., Sander, L. C., and May, W. E., "Standard Reference Materials to support US regulations for nutrients and contaminants in food and dietary supplements," Accreditation and Quality Assurance, 9, 543-550 (2004). 

24. Sharpless, K. E., Gill, L. M., Margolis, S. A., Wise, S. A., and Elkins, E., "Preparation of Standard Reference Material 2383 (Baby Food Composite) and use of an interlaboratory comparison exercise for value assignment of its nutrient concentrations," Journal of Aoac International, 82, 276-287 (1999). 

25. Sharpless, K. E., Schiller, S. B., Margolis, S. A., Thomas, J. B., Iyengar, G. V., Colbert, J. C., Gills, T. E., and Wise, S. A., "Certification of nutrients in Standard Reference Material 1846: Infant formula," Journal of Aoac International, 80, 611-621 (1997).