Every month the LIC will recommend a free of charge chemical information resource based on our experiences of answering members' queries at the Chemical Enquiries Help Desk.

You may find this regular feature useful for

• improving the scope of your research
• increasing awareness of freely available resources
• finding out more about the potential of familiar resources              

This month our resource is the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference where you can look up the nutrient content of 7,293 different foods directly.  The entries for each food item give a breakdown of proximates (water, energy, carbohydrate, protein); minerals, vitamins, lipids, amino acids and other constituents such as alcohol and lycopene.  The interface allows simple word searches which can be limited to within a food group. Reports on foods by single nutrients, such as calcium or niacin, can be accessed from the Nutrient Lists.  

Check out the free of charge chemical information link for other useful resources