Genesis R&D, a program from ESHA Research, Salem, Ore., assists product developers in customizing their work, and saves time by making re-entry of pertinent data and hand calculations simple. It takes them from data entry on ingredients, to NLEA labeling formats and ingredient statements.
“The database is the foundation of the program and the foundation of the company,” says Patrick Murphy, technical support manager. The information presented on the database is gathered from more than 1,300 sources and includes USDA data sets, literature sources, and brand name food products. “USDA Standard Release 14 provides a foundation of core foods,” says Elizabeth Braithwaite, MPH, database manager. “We offer data from over 450 brand name suppliers.” The program tracks 133 nutritional components including vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, dietary fiber fractions, sugar and sugar alcohols, and organic acids. Some of the newest ingredient information covers tropical fruit purees, powdered vegetables and legumes, and vegetable proteins. The growing functional foods market is served by nutritional information on ginseng, soy and other specific nutraceutical-type food ingredients.