Tapioca crisps' BNI

Perezgonzalez assessed the nutritional balance of tapioca crisps⁴ in 2012³, as part of a research on the nutritional composition of snacks in New Zealand.

Tapioca crisps had, on average, a nutritional unbalance of BNI 92.75na, being particularly biased towards excess of sodium. They were also adequate in carbohydrate, sugar and saturated fat, high in fat, and low in protein and fiber.

Illustration 1: Nutrition information (tapioca crisps)

BNI	92.75na	0.00

Food, 100g	2012	Ideal
Protein	1.4	21.9
Carbohydrate	57.4	60.2
Sugar	10.1	< 10.1
Fat	22.5	12.2
Saturated fat	4.1	< 4.1
Fiber	0.0	6.6
Sodium	1.205	< 0.438
Kcal	437.7	437.7
kJul	1831.3	1831.3

Illustration 2: Nutritional profile (tapioca crisps)

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%					*
40%					*
45%					*
50%					*
55%					*
60%					*

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

International standards

Tapioca crisps appeared less unbalanced according to international Recommended Dietary Intakes (RDIs), except for WHO's standards.

Illustration 3: Nutritional balance across international RDIs

Tapioca crisps	(dietIndex)	92.75	92.75	74.90	79.81	79.81

Product100g	Company	BNI	WHO	US/CAN	AUS/NZ	UK
Wild Snacks Vege Chips natural	Snackwell	81.93	81.93	65.15	72.30	72.30
Home Brand Cassava Vegetable Crisps original	Woolworths	82.59	82.59	67.44	67.44	67.44
Home Brand Cassava Vegetable Crisps sour cream &	Woolworths	85.34	85.34	68.17	75.92	75.92
Home Brand Cassava Vegetable Crisps BBQ	Woolworths	92.30	92.30	74.47	79.96	79.96
Wild Snacks Vege Chips sour cream & chives	Snackwell	108.13	108.13	85.71	92.08	92.08
Wild Snacks Vege Chips BBQ	Snackwell	111.89	111.89	85.14	94.90	94.90
(Source: Perezgonzalez, 2012a²)

Author

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

Want to know more?

BNI analysis of individual tapioca crisp products: You can access either the BNI™ database or the 'BNI™ journal (2012, issue 7) - Crispy crisps' for individual nutrition analyses of each food product in the sample.
Wiki of Science - Nutritional balance of tapioca crisps (descriptive statistics): This Wiki of Science page provides an in-depth descriptive analysis of the nutritional balance of tapioca crisps.
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 appropriate files.