An Innovative Machine Learning Approach to Predict the Dietary Fiber Content of Packaged Foods

Nutrients. 2021 Sep 14;13(9):3195. doi: 10.3390/nu13093195.

Abstract

Underconsumption of dietary fiber is prevalent worldwide and is associated with multiple adverse health conditions. Despite the importance of fiber, the labeling of fiber content on packaged foods and beverages is voluntary in most countries, making it challenging for consumers and policy makers to monitor fiber consumption. Here, we developed a machine learning approach for automated and systematic prediction of fiber content using nutrient information commonly available on packaged products. An Australian packaged food dataset with known fiber content information was divided into training (n = 8986) and test datasets (n = 2455). Utilization of a k-nearest neighbors machine learning algorithm explained a greater proportion of variance in fiber content than an existing manual fiber prediction approach (R2 = 0.84 vs. R2 = 0.68). Our findings highlight the opportunity to use machine learning to efficiently predict the fiber content of packaged products on a large scale.

Keywords: computer science; dietary fiber; machine learning; public health.

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Australia
  • Automation
  • Beverages / analysis
  • Diet
  • Dietary Fiber / analysis*
  • Energy Intake*
  • Fast Foods / analysis
  • Feeding Behavior
  • Food Analysis / methods*
  • Food Labeling*
  • Food Packaging*
  • Humans
  • Machine Learning*
  • Nutrients
  • Nutrition Policy
  • Nutritional Status
  • Nutritive Value*

Substances

  • Dietary Fiber