Alimenta
From Eurrecawiki.org
Alimenta
Alimenta is nutritional software used for application of food composition database in practise (e.g. nutritionists, food producers, dieticians, etc.) which was developed by Slovak Food Composition Data Bank (SFCDB) at VUP Food Research Institute in Slovakia. Alimenta includes aggregated national food composition data, what means that for pair of food and nutrient (component) there is mean, min and max value available. The range of nutrients for particular foods is not static and covers groups of protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins and group of calculated components including energy value.
Functions
The software is primarily used for food labelling - nutritional facts declaration. This is generally done by calculation food products´ compositional and energy values based on recipe and known composition of ingredients. Recipe is defined as a list of ingredients and their amounts given in grams. Carrying out calculation process the software recognises nutritional losses occurring during technological treatments or culinary preparations and applies retention factors in order to correct the amount of nutrient for its loss with fraction characterising its retention (remaining proportion from initial amount). The most important source for retention factors database was a publication comprising experimental results 1). In general recipe calculation alone is not easy procedure and each user of Alimenta needs training or experience in this area. Mainly expertise in estimating portion size, dry matter content or application yield factors is required. Calculated food composition is automatically included in the database and composition is expressed per both 100 grams of edible portion and typical portion size in grams.
Another important function of the software is nutrient intake assessment for individual respondents or groups. This function allows keeping information on consumed foods with amounts in grams and also helps recording personal information such as type of diet, date of birth, gender, body weight and occupation. The last but not least recording on type and length of physical activity performance is feasible. Since Slovak Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) categorisation distinguishes light, medium and hard work, it is advisable that type of occupation in relation to work load is recorded. Actually, along with nutrient intake evaluation user can prepare optimal diet models to meet requirements on particular nutrient content in proposed diet. Nutrient intake is compared with RDA of selected country, so rate of meeting RDA reference values, either exceeded or insufficient is an indicator for assessing someone’s intake.
Recording information on body weight is essential for calculation energy expenditure. The added value of the software is in capability to evaluate also energy intake or expenditure or balance between them. The main idea is to provide end-users with possibility to combine energy intake and energy expenditure together. This is possible in Alimenta for both real nutrient intake assessment and for assembling individual diet models in which physical activity is included to make balance for energy intake. The energy expenditure database was compiled based on compendium of experimental measurements carried out and published in USA 2). Actually this function is available only in the latest Alimenta, version 4.3e, and in Slovak language only.
A user should take into account the fact that food composition is strongly affected by various factors, e.g. cultivar, locality, season. Alimenta`s food composition database carries average (aggregated) values, minimum, maximum of the SFCDB, VUP Food Research Institute, Bratislava, Slovakia. Moreover, when using the software presently more attention should be paid to data quality and accuracy reflecting current foods availability and cuisine. Alimenta is partially open system and allows user to intervene data content. For instance retention factors and RDA categories and their reference values are optional and can be adjusted by users.
History
Software Alimenta was initially developed at the beginning of 90-ties as a result of the SFCDB initiative to satisfy national needs in creating tools for diet menu planning. The first version of the software was created around 1992.
Alimenta for CEECFOODS
In 1997 when the Central and Eastern European Food Data Systems (CEECFOODS network) was founded, Alimenta was assessed as one of the best software from the existing programs in Central and Eastern Europe at that time. Subsequently with FAO funds and within national SFCDB projects further versions of starting version Alimenta 3.1 were developed based on CEECFOODS goals, needs of individual countries, and last but not least by individual contribution of the SFCDB team and the cooperation programmer. The aim of this activity was to improve and disseminate the software for its widespread utilisation all over the CEECFOODS members (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, Romania and Russia). During the period 1998-2004, existing Alimenta functions were updated and completely new functions were added to the application, e.g. accessory databases were included, multilingual support was enhanced (if translations had been submitted from partners), graphics and user interface were improved, manuals were elaborated 3).
References
1) Bognár, A.: Tables on weight yield of food and retention factors of food constituents for the calculation of nutrient composition of cooked foods (dishes). BFE, Karlsruhe, 2002 (Federal Research Centre for Nutrition, Institute of Chemistry and Biology, Haid- und-Neu-Str. 9, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany)
2) Ainsworth, B.E. – Haskell, W.L. – Irwin, M.L. – Swartz, A.M. – Strath, S.J. - O´Brien, W.L. – Bassett, D.R. Jr – Schmitz, K.H. – Emplaincourt, P.O. – Jacobs, D.R. Jr – Leon, A.S.: Compendium of Physical Activities: an update of activity codes and MET intensities. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2000, 32 (Suppl): S498-S516
3) Porubská, J. – Holčíková, K. – Kováčiková, E. – Simonová, E. – Vargic, R.: The CEECFOODS network activities and achievements 1997-2007, 2009, 16 p.
