Food & nutrition

News and Updates

NIST Releases Reference Material to Aid Gut Microbiome Research

March 17, 2025

Researchers hope this material will help usher in a new era of diagnostics and treatments involving the gut microbiome.

Ileana Pazos sits and smiles for a photo next to scientific equipment. She's holding tweezers next to the machine.

Spotlight: Research Chemist Ileana Pazos’ Radiant Role in Longer-Lasting, Safer Imported Foods

March 24, 2023

Fruits and vegetables brought in from outside the country first require health and foodborne pathogen inspections. NIST research chemist Ileana Pazos helps the

Picture of jars containing reference materials 8256, 8257, 8258, and 8259: Wild caught and aquacultured shrimp and salmon

Four NIST Reference Materials Help Authenticate Shrimp and Salmon

July 28, 2022

Four reference materials from NIST will help the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Customs and Border Protection agencies assess whether imported salmon and

Projects and Programs

Cell Counting for Cell Therapies

Ongoing

Recent Publications and Resources for Cell Counting and Related Measurements Tools NOW AVAILABLE : COMET (Counting Method Evaluation Tool) , A Shiny Application that executes the statistical analysis and reporting outlined in ISO 20391-2:2019 https://cell-counting.shinyapps.io/COMET/ Standards ISO

Classification Methods for the NIST Biorepository

Ongoing

NIST has been archiving biological and environmental specimens, including marine animal and environmental samples, for over 40 years. Currently, these biospecimens are stored at cryogenic temperatures in the NIST Biorepository located at the Hollings Marine Laboratory in Charleston, SC. Various

Development of Methods for Measurement of Vitamin D and its Metabolites in Foods, Fortified Foods, and Dietary Supplements

Ongoing

Vitamin D exists in two forms: vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Vitamin D3 is produced in the body after sun exposure and is also the form used in most fortified foods. Dietary supplements may contain either vitamin D2 or D3. Measurement of vitamin D in foods and dietary

Human Vitamin D Binding Protein in complex with 25-hydroxyvitamin D3

Development of Reference Materials and Methods for Vitamin D Binding Protein

Ongoing

Vitamin D is essential for bone health, and vitamin D deficiency can lead to rickets in children and osteomalacia (soft bones) in adults. Vitamin D status is typically monitored through measurement of the metabolite 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in serum. Most 25(OH)D is tightly bound to its

Publications

Food Nutrition and Safety Measurements Quality Assurance Program: Exercise 3 Final Report (INCLUDES UPDATES AS OF 01-28-2025)

January 28, 2025

Author(s)

Melissa Phillips, Colleen Bryan Sallee, Jacolin Murray, Benjamin Place, Alix Rodowa

Dietary Supplement Laboratory Quality Assurance Program: Exercise 2 Final Report

January 24, 2025

Author(s)

Hugh Hayes, Jenna Klingsick, Colleen Bryan Sallee, Sanem Hosbas Coskun

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Dietary Supplement Laboratory Quality Assurance Program (DSQAP) was launched in 2007 in part as a

Food Nutrition and Safety Measurements Quality Assurance Program: Exercise 3 Final Report

December 19, 2024

Author(s)

Melissa Phillips, Colleen Bryan Sallee, Benjamin Place, Jacolin Murray, Alix Rodowa

The Food Nutrition and Safety Measurements Quality Assurance Program (FNSQAP) was launched in 2021. FNSQAP was established to assist laboratories in the

Value Assignment of Standard Reference Material® 1849b Infant/Adult Nutritional Formula I

August 26, 2024

Author(s)

Melissa M. Phillips, Bruce Scruggs, Elena Wood, Lee L. Yu, James H. Yen, Charles Barber, John Sieber, Laura Wood

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Standard Reference Material® (SRM®) 1849b Infant/Adult Nutritional Formula I delivers certified or non