Corn breakfast cereals' BNI

Perezgonzalez assessed the nutritional balance of corn cereals in 2012, as part of a research on breakfast cereals in New Zealand.

Corn cereals had, on average, a nutritional balance of BNI 78.35c, being particularly biased towards excess of carbohydrate. It was adequate in saturated fat, high in sugar and sodium, and low in protein, fat and fiber.

Illustration 1: Nutrition information (corn)

BNI	78.35c	0.00

Food, 100g	2012	Ideal
Protein	6.7	18.9
Carbohydrate	85.1	51.9
Sugar	20.9	< 9.4
Fat	1.1	10.5
Saturated fat	0.2	< 0.2
Fiber	1.6	5.7
Sodium	0.663	< 0.377
Kcal	377.1	377.1
kJul	1577.8	1577.8

Illustration 2: Nutritional profile (corn)

90%		*
85%		*
80%		*
75%		*
70%		*
65%		*
60%		*
55%		*
50%		*
45%		*
40%		*
35%		*
30%		*
25%		*
20%		*
15%		*
10%		*
5%	*	*	*	*
mid	p	c	f	fb
max		s	sf		na
5%		*			*
10%		*			*
15%		*			*
20%		*			*
25%					*
30%					*
35%					*

ideal % = grey cells; actual % = asterisk (*)

International standards

Corn breakfast cereals appeared as moderately to highly unbalanced according to international Recommended Dietary Intakes (RDIs).

Illustration 3: Nutritional balance across international RDIs

Corn	(diet)	78.35	57.29	64.28	74.51	60.47

Product100g	Company	BNI	WHO	US/CAN	AUS/NZ	UK
J.R.Fields corns scoops	J.R.Fields	72.65	64.41	58.09	68.09	58.09
Kellogg's corn flakes	Kellogg's	74.90	52.70	60.99	71.46	53.23
Homebrand corn flakes	Woolworths	81.93	60.53	66.98	77.28	61.98
Frosties	Kellogg's	82.76	81.76	63.81	82.04	76.25
Crispix honey	Kellogg's	87.65	66.98	73.08	83.22	70.69
(Source: Perezgonzalez, 2012²)

Author

Jose D PEREZGONZALEZ (2012). Massey University, Turitea Campus, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand. (JDPerezgonzalez).

Want to know more?

BNI™ database: The database offers individual nutrition analyses for foods, including the food referred to in above article.
BNI™ journal (2012, issue 3) - Breakfast cereals: This issue of the Balanced Nutrition Index™ journal collates all BNI™ nutrition information for the original sample in a single book.
Wiki of Science - Nutritional balance of foods: This Wiki of Science page collates information about several foods on a single page and provides useful links to the appropiate files.