Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Publication Date

Spring 4-18-2024

College

Sciences and Mathematics, College of

Department

Math and Computer Science, Department of

BURS Faculty Advisor

Dr. Christina Davis

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Abstract

Current food labeling practices in America enable consumers to easily evaluate a product’s caloric content, nutrient contents, and ingredients. This information is useful for individuals with dietary restrictions or who are monitoring their calorie intake. However, these labels often omit other critical components such as oxalate content and glycemic index (GI), which are vital for a holistic understanding of dietary impact. This omission hinders the ability of consumers to make fully informed dietary choices during routine grocery shopping.

This project seeks to address this issue in a few ways. First, it provides a brief literature review aimed at spreading awareness of why components like GI and oxalate value are just as important as calorie count and vitamin content. Second, this project offers a newly created and publicly available database which combines GI and oxalate values with more commonly discussed nutrient values. The need for such a database became apparent during the literature review phase as no previously existing and publicly available database could be found. Finally, using the newly created database, this project explores relationships between the nutrient values. Methods used include bootstrapping, permutation testing, K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), and random forest. Findings highlight the complexity of assigning nutritional value to specific foods and suggest consumers may benefit from more comprehensive food labeling practices.

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