The development of a composition database of gluten-free products

Abstract

Objective To develop a composition database of a number of foods representative of different categories of gluten-free products in the Italian diet. Design The database was built using the nutritional composition of the products, taking into consideration both the composition of the ingredients and the nutritional information reported on the product label. Setting The nutrient composition of each ingredient was obtained from two Italian databases (European Institute of Oncology and the National Institute for Food and Nutrition). Subjects The study developed a food composition database including a total of sixty foods representative of different categories of gluten-free products sold on the Italian market. The composition of the products included in the database is given in terms of quantity of macro- and micronutrients per 100 g of product as sold, and includes the full range of nutrient data present in traditional databases of gluten-containing foods. Results As expected, most of the products had a high content of carbohydrates and some of them can be labelled as a source of fibre (>3 g/100 g). Regarding micronutrients, among the products considered, breads, pizzas and snacks were especially very high in Na content (>400-500 mg/100 g). Conclusions This database provides an initial useful tool for future nutritional surveys on the dietary habits of coeliac people.