Comprehensively compiled dietary polyphenol data is required to compare polyphenol content between foods, calculate polyphenol intake and study its association with health and disease. The purpose of ...this review was to identify data on the presence and content of polyphenolic components in South African foods, with the aim of compiling the data into a database. An electronic literature search was conducted up until January 2020 using multiple databases. Additional literature was sourced from South African university repositories. A total of 7051 potentially eligible references were identified, of which 384 met the inclusion criteria. These studies provided information on food item name, geographical distribution, polyphenol type, quantity, and quantification method. Data for 1070 foods were identified, amounting to 4994 polyphenols. Spectrophotometry was the main method used for quantification of gross phenolic content in various assays such as total phenolic content (Folin-Ciocalteu assay), total flavonoid content (AlCl
assay) and condensed tannin content (vanillin-HCl assay). Phenolic acids and flavonoids were the main polyphenol classes identified. This review highlights that South Africa has abundant information on the polyphenol content of foods, which could be utilised within a food composition database for the estimation of polyphenol intake for South Africa.
Country-specific food composition databases (FCDB) are key resources in addressing nutrition and health-related concerns in a country. A multi-sectoral, multi-national project was initiated with the ...objective to develop the first country specific FCDB and tables for the country. A sequential exploratory approach was employed, commencing with desktop research collecting relevant information prior to completing a scoping mission which informed the approach and subsequent methods employed. Capacity building, data collection, quality assessment, compilation and quality assurance resulted in a DB comprising 316 food items, 8 food groups and 42 components. The baby food group encompassed the largest group contributing 27%, while fats and oils contributed 2% of foods to the DB. Malawian literature contributed 63%, of which peer-reviewed literature and student physicochemical research projects added 43% and 54%, respectively. Twenty-three percent of Malawian data comprised recipes with staples the largest contributor at 45%. The percentage of missing values respectively ranged between 13% and 51% for thiamin and biotin, while ranging between 5.4% and 68% for iron and selenium, respectively. The proximate profile except for ash was complete. Leveraging existing scientific literature, research projects, platforms and networks proved to be a viable approach to establish a country-specific FCDB and food composition data system in the country.
•Harnessing scientific literature and networks to establish a composition database.
