title: [Calibration tools menu and calculation of the composition nutritional food; validity and variability].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Food composition tables (FCT) are a basic tool to know the energy content and the nutritional composition of foods.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To demonstrate through a model menu the existent variability between the different FCTs and the databases of the software used.
  
  
  METHODS
  A menu was calibrated by using the Alimentador software, which was then validated with the software DIAL, EasyDiet, and with RedBEDCA, CESNID, Mataix, 2003 y Moreiras O., 2013 FCTs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  many nutrients could not be compared due to the lack of data. The range of comparable data obtained for each nutrient may vary from 8% to 84%, being wider for micronutrients than for macronutrients or energy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We have shown the variability between FCTs and some software programs, which gives way to question the scientific validity of the use of these tools that frequently used by nutrition professionals.
authors.affiliation: Research Centers in Nutrition and Health. Madrid. España.. ismasmm@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ismael
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: San Mauro Martín
authors.affiliation: Research Centers in Nutrition and Health. Madrid. España..
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hernández Rodríguez
mesh_terms: D002138:Calibration; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005504:Food Analysis / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012984:Software