ASEANFOODS: ACTIVITIES ON FOOD COMPOSITION DURING 2002-2003Prapasri Puwastien, ASEANFOODS Technical CoordinatorInstitute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, THAILAND

Poster presented at the Fifth International Food DataConference, Washington DC, 30th June - 3rd July 2003

ASEANFOODS is the Association of Southeast Asian Networks of Food Data systems. Its main objective is to organise activities to strengthening the development of national and regional food composition data with high quality, adequate quantity and accessibility to the users. With the support and collaboration from FAO, UNU, INFOODS, OCEANIAFOODS and other international and national organisation i.e., AUSAIDS, JICA, APFAN, ILSI, INMU and NSTDBThailand, various activities have been carried out since 1986.Activities during 2002-2003 1) Organisation of FoodComp-Asia course (6-24 May 2002) which was the first international course in Asia, supported by FAO and ILSI. There were 16 participants; 4 from SAARCFOODS, 2 from NEASIAFOODS and 10 from ASEANFOODS. 2) A questionnaire survey (May 2002- January 2003) was conducted among laboratories in ASEAN on the use of reference materials, participation in the proficiency study, existing analytical quality control system, problems involved and requirement. The outcome of the survey are used for planning activities to strengthening the members countries in these areas. 3) Organisation of the 5th ASEANFOODS Workshop ( 9-11 October 2002) with the main objective to develop an ASEAN Manual of nutrient analysis4) Organisation of the 7th laboratory performance study (October 2002- 2003) with the objective to study the existing status on the analysis of mandatory nutrients for nutrition labelling among laboratories in ASEAN.

ASEAN Network of food data system: member countries are: Brunei Darussalam Indonesia Malaysia Philippines Singapore Thailand* Vietnam Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar*Regional Centre and INFOODS database Centre: Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University (INMU),Thailand (http://www.inmu.mahidol.ac.th/aseanfoods)Contact person: Prapasri Puwastien, nuppw@mahidol.ac.thNew members, 2001To organise activities to strengthen the development of national and regional food composition databases with high quality,adequate quantity and accessibility to the users in ASEAN and other regions.

UNU-INFOODS OCEANIAFOODS ILSI AUSAIDS With the technical and financial support from the above international and national organisation and the collaboration among the member countries, various activities at regional centre have been carried out since 1986. FAO APFAN JICA NSTDB-Thailand INMU-Thailand3

Supported by: FAO and ILSIObjective of FoodComp Asia 2002To show how FCD generators, compilers and users can collaborate and contribute to the development of quality food composition data which is, in result, valuable for effective use in nutrition and other related areasParticipants: from 11 countries 4 from SAARCFOODS 2 from NEASIAFOODS 10 from ASEANFOODS. 1. Organisation of the first international FoodComp-Asia 2002 course (6-24 May 2002)

The course was divided into 3 main areas: food composition data generation, compilation and use. The major elements of the course comprised:Food lab practices

Lecture

Group working: composition presentation. Computer exercise

: some activities during the course excursionnd outside BKKExcursions outside BKKexcursions-BKK and outside BKKwelcome partyDiploma presentationexcursions-around BKK

1. FoodComp course syllabus Since 1992, the FoodComp course was organised several times in theNetherlands and at different regions of the world. For the most benefit of the participants and the standard quality of the FoodComp course, a meeting of the course directors and the main lecturers is strongly recommended. The objectives of the meeting are to exchange and share experience and information gained from each course, harmonise, standardise and develop a standard FoodComp course syllabus in details. The evaluation of the course by participants should be taken into consideration in modification and improvement of the course. 2. International FoodComp advisory board and Technical committee International Advisory Board and technical commitee of the FoodComp course should be formed. A specific plan for organising the course in different regions should be set up and circulated to the funding agencies for their budget planing of the support. 3. Course materialsThe main references and materials should be listed and have them available at the key organisation, i.e., FAO, Rome. H Greenfield and DAT Southgate. Food Composition Data: production, management and use, the new edition, should be provided by FAO to the participants of the FoodComp course.

Objective: to survey the existing status on the use of reference materials, participation in the proficiency study, existing analytical quality control system, problems involved and requirement. Number of laboratories: 17

Purpose of analysis % Services59 Development of FCTS: 19Research15Product QC 3Others6The outcome of the survey will be used by the organiser for planning activities to strengthening the member laboratories in the surveyed areas. The information on users requirement are very important to the CRMs and RMs producers and the PT providers. Number of countries: 6 Number of laboratories: 17 Malaysia (1 lab), Philippine(3 lab), Singapore (1 lab), Thailand (10 lab) Vietnam (1 lab), and Macao (1 lab) (from NEASIAFOODS) Purpose for food analysis % in 17 laboratories Services59 Development of FCTS 19Research15Product QC 3Others 62. Questionnaire survey (May 2002- January 2003)

2. 1 Analytical quality control system used among 17 laboratories Analysis % Distribution (n=17) CRMRM QC PT %R Repl Re

Proximate composition 4 1 22 23 9 31 10

Special components(1) 5 2 14 17 24 30 7

Vitamins 2 1 8 20 28 32 9

Minerals 5 3 14 16 22 29 11 (1) starch, sugars, cholesterol, fatty acids, amino acids CRM: certified RM; RM: RM with consensus value; QC: in-house QC sample; PT: proficiency study; %R: % recovery; Repl: replicate analysis; Re: repeated analysisOverall QC system 4 2 15 19 20 31 9 There is a limited use of CRM and RM in all analyses, especially for vitamins which is likelydue to the unavailability of the stable RMs. Replicate analysis is the most common QC system among the laboratories, followed by % recovery, participating in PT study and having in-house QC sample and monitored precision by QC chart.

2.2 Difficulties encountered in using RMs(respondents: 10 out of 17)Difficulties No. lab%

Cost (not affordable) 919

Limited range of food matrix of 8 17 test materials Limited range of covered nutrients 715 Process of purchase 511 Sample delivery 5 10 Sample stability 4 8 Packaging 2 4 Certificate 2 4 Protocol for sample preparation 1 2 Unit of expression 1 2 The three main reasons that limit the use of commercial CRMs are their prohibitive cost, limited range of food matrix and coverage of nutrients.

Users requirement: properties and characteristics food RMsType of food materials: soybean flour, milk powder, rice flour, meat, fish meal, dried sea foods, fruit juice, infant formula, fortified foods, liquid milk, flour (low and high lipid)

Nutrients to be covered: Proximate (including DF), minerals, vitamins (esp vit A, C, and B vitamins), nutrients for nutrition labelling (including sugars, fatty acids, cholesterol)

Type of packaging: Plastic bottle, laminated aluminum foil, cans, vials (requested for re-sealed properties

Users requirement: properties and characteristics food RMs (continued) Amount per package (g): 30-50 g (7)(1) 5-10: RMs for vitaminsShelf-life (y): >1-2 (9) Information required: Expired date, certified values, sample handling, range, uncertainty analytical methods used Affordable cost (US$/50g): 50-100 (5), 20-40 (2), 10-15 (5)Other suggestion: small package for vitamin, requires wider range of food matrix (1)number of respondentsDepending on covered nutrient

2.3 Difficulties encountered in PT study (respondent 15 out of 17) Difficulties No. of lab % Cost (not affordable) 8 53 (affordable cost: 40-100 US$/round, depending on number of nutrients to be included) Limited range of nutrients7 47 Test materials not match6 40 with routine sample Packaging (not reseal)4 27 Shipping (custom clearance)3 20 Interpretation of results3 20 Others: sample homogeneity, stability, not enough quantity

Present status: PT providers & number of participating laboratoriesFAPAS 7 NATA 2APLAC 12ASEANFOODS 14IAEA 1 LGC, AACC, AOAC 1 PT-providers # ParticipatingCost LaboratoriesUS$200-1100too expensive Free -

Users requirement: test materials, nutrient included, and frequency/year Test materials Nutrients included Milk powder, dairy products, proximate composition, rice flour, soybean, fish meal, minerals, vitamins, fortified foods, cereal products, nutrients for NL dried meat, vegetable leaves Meat, fish meal, medical food, fatty acids, cholesterol vegetable oil

Fresh vegetables, fruit juice vitamins, minerals vegetable leavesFrequency/year: 1-2 rounds

Laboratory performance study: national PT providers in ASEAN Country Institute Indonesia Research Center for Chemistry, Indonesian Institute of Science, Bandung

Philippine (2x) Food and Nutrition Research Institiute, Dept of Science and Technology (FNRI) Bureu of product STD

Singapore (1x) PSB Corporation

Thailand (2x) - Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University - Dept of Science Services (DSS), Ministry of Sci., Tech, and Environment

Vietnam (1) Vietnam Laboratory Accreditation System (VILAS)

1. Stepwise quality control system should be encouraged among laboratories in each country.

2. RMs with consensus values of nutrients should be prepared at national or regional level, following a well-designed harmonised protocol. The difficulties encountered and the requirement of the users must be taken into account. 3. Laboratory performance study (PT study) should be organised at national level, in order to minimise the difficulties. Special arrangement among member countries can be made (e.g. use the same test materials, following the same protocol, etc.). The outcome can then be compared. The information on the existing status and needs of the participants obtained from this questionnaire survey would be useful for effective planning of the activities.4. Harmonised protocols for developing the RMs and organising the PT study and short training on the protocols are strongly recommended.

5. To exchange experience, regular communication among the project coordinators through e-mail, meeting, and related conference are encouraged

3. Organisation of the 5th ASEANFOODS Workshop (9-11 October 2002) Objective: 1. To document the ASEAN methods of nutrient analysis 2. To organise an ASEANFOODS meeting to review the previous activities and to prioritise the future activities. Organiser: ASEANFOODS Regional Centre, Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, THAILAND

Duration: 3 days, 9-11 October 2002

Place: Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Salaya

Strategic Plan:

The activities were divided into 3 phases1) Pre-workshop, 2) Workshop, and 3) Post-workshop

Documentation of ASEAN Manual for nutrient analysis Pre-Workshop activities: Two experts on analytical methods from each country were invited. The area of experts was identified according to the group of nutrients. The analytical methods used in each country were compiled (~6 wks) The obtained methods were classified according to the area of experts. Each expert was requested to review one or 2 analytical methods (compiled from each country) according to his expertise (about 6 wks) and prepared the recommended method(s) to be discussed at the workshop.

Documentation of ASEAN Manual for nutrient analysis(continued)Workshop activities: 3 days (9-11 October 2002) Groups of experts from different countries for each nutrient were formed. Format of the document of analytical methods was agreed.

Experts discussed among their group and worked together on recommended analytical methods for each nutrient. At the end of the day, each group submitted the recommended analytical method for responsible nutrient.

The working group moved to the other responsible nutrient on the second day and followed the same strategies on the first day.

Representative of each working group presented the flow chart of the recommended analytical methods of each nutrient on the third day and open for the discussion and conclusion.

Documentation of ASEAN Manual for nutrient analysis(continued)Post-workshop activities:

The lay-out of the document was set. The format of all the submitted methods were reviewed and corrected. The content and the references are being reviewed and edited by the editing team. The language proof is the final step of editing. The document of each method will be disseminated to participants for final proof. The camera-ready of ASEAN-Manual will then be prepared for printing and for electronic document.The status of the documents: The documents were divided into three sections. The editing team composed representatives from Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. It is expected that the document should be published within 2003.

OpeningMeeting roomGroup workingPresentation

For the success of the documentation of the manual, the following key steps are recommended. 1. From each country, 3-5 experts with different areas of expertise should be invited. 2. Activities should be divided into pre-workshop, workshop and post-workshop.

3. Provide 3 months for pre-work, 5-7 days for workshop, and at least 6 mo. for post-workshop, and one month for publishing.

4. Key activities: at the workshop after recommended methods are obtained, details of each methods must be presented for comments and final approval.

5. Sufficient support must be available for conducting the above activities. Recommendation:

4. Laboratory performance study: round 7 (October 2002- 2003)ObjectiveThe main objective was to study the existing status on the analysis of mandatory nutrients for nutrition labelling among laboratories in ASEAN. Materials and Methods 1. Participating laboratories: Twenty-eight laboratories, governmental and non-governmental, in Thailand and ASEAN participated in this study. A secret laboratory code number was assigned for each participating laboratory. 2. Test materials Three test materials, AS-FRM 5 (weaning food) with consensus values of nutrients and two commercial food products milk powder and full-fat soybean flour - were used in this study. For more information please look inside

Checking sample homogeneity and stability Checking for homogeneity:Ten sub-samples of milk powder were randomly sampling. Sample homogeneity of milk powder was checked by analysis of moisture, total nitrogen and vitamin B2, in duplicate. Each analysis was performed in one setting by one good performance analyst on the same day using the same set of reagents.Results: The values of RSD for each analysed nutrient, derived from the analysis of 10 single samples were pleasingly low (0.8-2.5%), with HORRAT values of less than 1 (0.2-0.7) for all analysed nutrients. Milk sample was thus considered sufficiently homogeneous.

Checking for nutrient stability in milk powder:Milk powder was kept at room temperature, 4oC and 20oC. The analysis of vitamin B2 was used for checking the stability of the sample. Five single samples of milk powder were randomly selected at 0 day, after 7 days at room temperature (30-32oC) which represented the conditions for transportation of the samples, after one, 3 and 6 months at -20 oC. Single analysis of riboflavin in each sample, by HPLC, was performed on the same day by the same analyst Results: All the results were in the range of mean + SD of the level obtained from 0 day, the sample was considered stable for the PT study. The stability of vitamin B2 will be followed until the sample is not used as RM for vitamin analysis.

Statistical analysis

The statistical evaluation was carried out for within and between laboratory variation using robust z-score. Laboratories with an absolute z-score value, within or between, equal to and greater than 3 were identified as outliers. Laboratories with absolute z-score of 2

1. Food composition database

Develop CD-ROM of FCD with food photo Develop software for data compilation/installation Update the ASEAN FCTs in 2005 2. RMs and laboratory performance study: continued working 5. Training course on development of reference material and organisation of laboratory performance study 3. ASEAN Methods for nutrient analysis Hope to be available in 2003.

4. Homepage and Logo of ASEANFOODS Http://www.inmu.mahidol.ac.th/aseanfoodsFuture activities of ASEANFOODS

ASEANFOODS include 7 member countries and food composition database are available in each country except Brunei Darussalam.