ARS updates flavonoids in food database

The updated and expanded database gives both industry and academia an expanded and up-to-date research tool for quantification of the flavonoid content of a variety of foods.

Flavonoids, found in certain wine, fruits, vegetables, tea, nuts, and chocolate, have received extensive research due to their potent antioxidant activity and purported health benefits. Many have also been implicated in possible protection against diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.

The database, available on-line at the ARS' Nutrient Data Laboratory (NDL) website, adds 168 new foods to the original database, while data for many of the original 225 foods has also been updated, said the ARS in a statement.

For the update, project leaders David Haytowitz and Seema Bhagwat analyzed the flavonoids in almost 60 fruits, nuts and vegetables taken from a nationwide sampling. The ARS scientists also evaluated data from around 100 new scientific papers on the flavonoid content of various foods.

The flavonoid database is said to complement the NDL's core database, The National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, SR19, reported to be the major authoritative source of food composition information in the US.

The NDL website also provides supplemental databases for other phytochemicals including proanthocyanidins and isoflavones.