Enabling scientific research on the global biodiversity of food
Welcome to The Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI) Research Hub
We support scientific research and interventions through the application of multi-omics tools, enabling deep discovery and critical analysis of environmental, agricultural, and cultural factors, and illuminating the global impact on food quality based on diverse components and implications for human and planetary health.
Log in or register your account to access PTFI tools and data.
The Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI) is a global effort to provide data-driven solutions to transform food systems for improved human and planetary health.
The PTFI provides standardized tools, data, and training to map food quality of the world's edible biodiversity. We envision a world where each stakeholder involved in food and health systems is empowered to lead data-driven solutions for enhanced human and planetary wellbeing.
To learn more about The Periodic Table of Food Initiative, visit www.foodperiodictable.org
What Is PTFI Data?
PTFI DATA METRICS
BACKGROUND
PTFI data are high-resolution molecular and contextual data that characterize what is in food and how it varies across geography, genetics, production, processing, and preparation.
These data are generated through standardized analytical tools across a global laboratory network, integrating multiple omics layers and metadata to capture the multidimensional nature of food quality.
These data are collected and reported at the individual sample level, paired with rich metadata, and are not aggregated, enabling precise identification of drivers of variation in food composition.
TWO CORE PTFI DATA SETS
PTFI data sets are separated into Reference Food Data and Research Studies Data based on sampling and purpose.
1. Reference Food Data
Comprehensive molecular profiles generated using the full suite of PTFI analytical methods, serving as baseline representations of the planet’s edible biodiversity for comparison across foods, regions, and production systems.
2. Research Study Data
Research study datasets are generated through focused experimental studies designed to address specific scientific questions using selected analytical methods. These studies typically include multiple samples (replicates) of a single food type collected under different conditions, enabling controlled investigation of factors that drive variation in food composition.
TWO DATA LAYERS
PTFI offers two complementary data layers, Foundational Data and Discovery Data, classified based on the type and depth of analytical methods used.
1. PTFI Foundational Data
This dataset defines core nutritional value and functionality including macro-nutrients, micro-nutrients, and specialized metabolites (or bioactives). It provides the baseline understanding of food composition and supports comparability in a complementary framework with existing food composition systems.
2. PTFI Discovery Data
This dataset captures the deeper molecular complexity of food, including specialized metabolites (bioactives), complex lipids, and protein diversity generated through advanced multi-omics approaches. It reveals the “dark matter” of food including bioactive compounds, biological functions, and molecular signatures that drive health, resilience, and food quality beyond traditional measures.
Log in or register to access the PTFI standardized multi-omics database.
Tools & Resources
Multi-omics data organized and presented in an intuitive, engaging and enlightening format.
MarkerLab is a web-based data visualization platform that makes multi-omics data accessible, interpretable, and valuable for labs and researchers. Researchers can use MarkerLab to search the PTFI database and explore food biomolecular data using a variety of visualization options. In addition to interactive data plots and tables for individual samples, MarkerLab also provides the option to compare foods and compounds of interest across the database.
Log in or register to explore PTFI open-access omics data with MarkerLab.
The American Heart Association’s Precision Medicine Platform is a cloud-based technology solution that allows researchers to collaborate and analyze large datasets from any computer in the world using a secure environment and the power of machine learning.
Within the research interface, users can request access to assorted datasets, including the Periodic Table of Food Initiative database to accelerate findings into impactful discoveries.
Researchers can analyze raw PTFI data to gain insights and run analyses utilizing pre-installed analytic tools. The AHA Data Science team provides a tutorial notebook in the workspace to guide users on how to view the dataset and run summary statistics. This tutorial is intended to help jumpstart analysis of the PTFI data on the Precision Medicine Platform.
Visit the Precision Medicine Platform’s PTFI data resource page for more information about requesting a workspace to analyze the PTFI data.
PTFI Research
The PTFI's analytical approach is characterized by its collaborative, standardized, and distributable nature.
Collaborative
The PTFI takes a collaborative approach to standardizing Foodomics tools, engaging lab partners around the globe in the evaluation, development and validation of multi-omics protocols. These platforms currently include untargeted metabolomics, lipidomics, ionomics and fatty acid analysis. Additional platforms in development include glycomics, targeted metabolomics, proteomics and aromatics.
Standardized
The PTFI has four key areas of standardization to enable distributable analytical methods to labs around the world, including:
- Standardized protocols for each multi-omics platform
- Custom internal standards to accompany the PTFI methods that allow for harmonization of data across labs, allowing the global ecosystem of PTFI partners to generate and contribute food composition data to the PTFI database
- An expanding cloud-based chemical library that allows for confident annotation of features detected in foods, without the need for labs to create their own chemical libraries
- A centralized data pipeline that allows labs to upload raw data from their instruments via the PTFI lab portal for data processing, retention time alignment, and final data assembly
Distributable
The PTFI’s overarching goal is to enable labs around the world to access methods, participate in food composition analysis, and contribute to building the largest database of food biomolecular composition to date.
We’re currently working with nine Centers of Excellence around the globe to onboard PTFI methods and enable them to serve as PTFI research hubs in their geographic regions. The PTFI methods, reagents, chemical library, and data pipeline are also available for individual labs to participate in this global effort.
Log in or register to learn more about the PTFI partner lab application process.
The PTFI Global Ecosystem: Centers of Excellence, National Lab Hubs & Partner Labs
PTFI Research & Development Partners
