Description of food composition
tables and databases and how to retrieve data
A food composition table or database is easier to use if the
format allows easy access to the data available. Advances in information
technology have led to more and more food composition tables being available in
electronic form, progressively replacing the printed format. Printed food
composition tables, although limited by physical proportions such as the size
of both the written text and the printed table, continue to be popular in
developing and underdeveloped countries. The printed word is seen as
authoritative and only a limited level of literacy or knowledge on nutrition is
necessary to be able to access the data.
Electronic data and access to them are more limited in remote
areas in these countries, and a higher level of computer literacy and equipment
is necessary, which is generally seen as a luxury and not a necessity.
However, electronic databases have many advan-tages over printed
tables, including virtually unlim-ited capacity to store information, rapid
access to individual data items, and easy sorting and manipula-tion of data for
use in a wide range of calculations. However, the ease of accessing data in an
electronic or a computerized database is dependent on the data-base access
software and not only on the way in which data are stored. The development of
relational data-bases has led to the opening up of possibilities to link
different databases in regions and countries with each other. This has led to
the identification of new chal-lenges such as food identification,
compatibility of data, data interchange and data quality.
Related Topics
Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions, DMCA Policy and Compliant
Copyright © 2018-2023 BrainKart.com; All Rights Reserved. Developed by Therithal info, Chennai.