Abstract
The Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan―2020― (Eighth revised edition, hereafter STFCJ 2020) use an altered energy calculation method, different from the method used for the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan―2015― (Seventh revised edition, hereafter STFCJ 2015). In STFCJ 2020, when available, protein calculated from the sum of amino acid residues (PROTCAA) and fat expressed as triacylglycerol equivalent of fatty acids (FATNLEA) are used for energy calculation together with other energy-yielding components, instead of protein calculated from reference nitrogen content (PROT-) and fat determined by one of 11 food-specific extraction methods (FAT-). The aims of this lecture are to detail the new energy calculation method used in STFCJ 2020 and to explain the newly introduced procedures for evaluating the uncertainty of dry matter content, i.e., the total mass of food components except water, and for choosing one of two available carbohydrate components (available carbohydrate expressed in monosaccharide equivalents 〈CHOAVLM〉 or available carbohydrate by difference 〈CHOAVLDF-〉) for inclusion in the energy calculation. Energy values calculated using the two methods employed in STFCJ 2020 and STFCJ 2015 are graphically compared among food groups, among energy conversion factors used in STFCJ 2015, and among combinations of preferred/acceptable methods for protein, fat and available carbohydrate analyses described in an FAO report, i.e., Food energy - methods of analysis and conversion factors, Report of a technical workshop, FAO Food and Nutrition paper 77 (2003). Furthermore, the influences of the resulting differences in energy values on the energy intake of Japanese are discussed using food intake data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey.
