The development of a composition database of gluten free products

Objective: The development of a composition database of a number of foods representative of different categories of gluten free (GF) products in the Italian diet. Design: The database was built using the nutritional composition of the products taking into consideration both the ingredients composition and the nutritional information reported on the product label. Setting: The nutrient composition of each ingredient was obtained by the two Italian databases (European Institute of Oncology and the National Institute for Food and Nutrition). Subjects: This study developed a food composition database including a total of 60 foods representative of different categories of GF products sold in the Italian market. The composition of the products included in the database is given in terms of quantity of macro and micronutrients per 100 grams of product as sold, and includes the full range of nutrient data present in the traditional databases of non-GF foods. Results: As expected, most of the products had a high content of carbohydrates and some of them can be labeled as a source of fiber (> 3 g/100 g). Regarding micronutrients, among the products considered, breads, pizzas and snacks were especially very high in sodium content (> 400-500 mg/100 g). Conclusions: This database provides an initial useful tool for future nutritional surveys on dietary habits of celiac people.