Some people like peanut butter in sandwiches. Other people mix it in desserts or feed it to squirrels. Now there is a new use for peanut butter — as a quality assurance tool. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently issued Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2387, a peanut butter sample that has been characterized with state-of-the-art measurement methods to provide values for the amount of fat, protein, vitamins, minerals and other analytes it contains. It is one of a series of food-matrix SRMs that can be used by food manufacturers to validate production and quality control procedures as well as ensure accurate labeling of product content.
From The National Institute of Standards and Technology :NIST Peanut Butter Standard Spreads Quality When Used
Some people like peanut butter in sandwiches. Other people mix it in desserts or feed it to squirrels. Now there is a new use for peanut butter — as a quality assurance tool.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently issued Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2387, a peanut butter sample that has been characterized with state-of-the-art measurement methods to provide values for the amount of fat, protein, vitamins, minerals and other analytes it contains. It is one of a series of food-matrix SRMs that can be used by food manufacturers to validate production and quality control procedures as well as ensure accurate labeling of product content.
The new SRM is the first NIST food-matrix reference material for which values are assigned for 18 individual amino acids?the building blocks of proteins?and for aflatoxins, which are carcinogen substances produced by mold in crops. Peanut butter also is the only SRM that is high in both fat content (about 50 percent) and protein (about 22 percent), making it useful in evaluating the fat and protein content of other food products.
With the release of SRM 2387, one or more reference materials in each of the nine sectors of the Association of Analytical Communities (AOAC) food triangle are now available from NIST. The triangle helps assure the availability of validated analytical methods for all types of foods, so that information for nutrients can be provided on labels.
SRM 2387 already has found a scientific use in evaluating allergen test kits. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) spiked foods with dilute solutions of the SRM and then tested for the presence of peanuts, which are one of the major allergenic foods. Even a trace of peanut protein can cause serious reactions, even death, if someone is highly allergic.
For technical information on the certification of SRM 2387, contact Kathy Sharpless, (301) 975-3121, [email protected]. For details on ordering, call (301) 975-6776 or send an e-mail to [email protected].
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Laura Ost, (301) 975-4034
