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

Research Grade Testing Material (RGTM 10212), Synthetic Fecal Metabolite Calibrant (Credit: NIST)

Synthetic Fecal Metabolite Calibrant Solution (RGTM 10212)

Ongoing

Metabolomics is an exciting and dynamic field in life sciences that harnesses cutting-edge technologies to identify and characterize small molecules, or metabolites, within cells, tissues, or organisms, collectively known as the metabolome. The wealth of evidence in the literature underscores the

Methods to Quantify Microbial Viability

Ongoing

Validating DNA-based methods to quantify viable bacteria ( S. Da Silva , G. Pinheiro) Microbial detection technologies based on nucleic acid measurements, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), are powerful detection tools that can provide relatively rapid results as compared to traditional

Food Nutrition and Safety Measurements Quality Assurance Program (FNSQAP)

Ongoing

As part of a revamp of QAPs in 2021, NIST established the FNSQAP to support the NIST Food Safety Program and Measurements and Standards to Support Nutrition Labeling. Participants measure nutrient components (e.g., minerals, vitamins, fatty acids, dietary fiber) and contaminants (e.g., toxic

Graphic of a erlenmeyer flask containing tilled soil, a green leaf, and yellow wheat.

Molecular Innovation in Agriculture

Ongoing

Plant science and breeding aim to develop new plant phenotypes with desired qualities, increased production, disease resistance, and traits that reduce water usage. At the federal level, plant research is conducted by the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Agricultural

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