The estimation of calories in foods is central in the maintenance of body weight and energy regulation. Conventional laboratory analysis using bomb calorimetry to determine calorie content is expensive and time-consuming. There is a need to explore alternative techniques for calorie estimation that requires less processing and resources. The potential of using near infrared spectroscopy for calorie measurements with Calorie Answer™ was evaluated in this study. The caloric content of 105 different foods was measured, and compared against values reported on nutrition labels. The average percentage relative standard deviation for triplicate measurements was 1.7% for all foods. The percentage difference between stated and measured calories was modest, at 4.0% for all foods. Stated and measured calorie contents were significantly and highly correlated (R2=0.98, p
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This research is supported by core funding from Singapore Clinical Nutrition Research Center (SCNRC), EDB Category 3: IAF311001.