Abbreviations to Search FSTA Fields
The following are abbreviations you can use when searching the Topic and Descriptors fields.

Abbreviation | Topic or Description Field |
---|---|
AAS | atomic absorption spectrometry |
abstr. | abstract |
ACC | 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid |
ADI | acceptable daily intake |
AOAC | Association of Official Analytical Chemists |
approx. | approximately |
ARS | Agricultural Research Service |
atm | atmosphere |
aw | water activity |
BHA | butylated hydroxyanisole |
BHT | butylated hydroxytoluene |
bp | base pair(s) |
b.p. | boiling point |
Bq | Becquerel |
BSE | bovine spongiform encephalopathy |
cal | calorie |
cfu | colony forming unit |
Ci | curie |
CJD | Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease |
CLA | conjugated linoleic acid |
coeff. | coefficient |
Co. | Company |
conc. | concentrated |
concn. | concentration |
Corp. | Corporation |
CSIRO | Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization |
cv. | cultivar |
Da | Dalton |
DE | dextrose equivalent |
DFD | dark firm dry |
diam. | diameter |
dil. | dilute |
DM | dry matter, Deutsche Mark |
DRV | dietary reference value |
DSC | differential scanning calorimetry |
E. | East, Eastern, etc. |
EC/EU | European Community/European Union |
ECD | electron capture detection |
EDTA | ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid |
ELISA | enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay |
EM | electron microscopy/micrograph(s) |
EPA | Environmental Protection Agency |
FAO | Food & Agriculture Organization |
FDA | Food & Drug Administration |
FIA | flow injection analysis |
FID | flame ionization detection |
f.p. | freezing point |
FPD | flame photometric detection |
FTIR | Fourier transform IR |
GC | gas chromatography |
gn | gravity |
GLC | gas-liquid chromatography |
GM/O | genetically modified/organism |
GRAS | generally regarded/recognized as safe |
h | hour |
ha | hectare |
HACCP | Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point |
HDPE | high density/polyethylene |
hl | hectolitre (100 l) |
HPLC | high performance/pressure liquid chromatography |
HTST | high temperature short time |
Hz | hertz (frequency cycle/s) |
ICPMS | inductively coupled plasma MS |
IEF | isoelectric focusing |
Inc. | Incorporated |
IR | infrared |
IU | international unit |
J | joule |
kb | kilobase(s) |
K | Kelvin |
KK | Kabushiki Kaisha(Co. Ltd.) |
LC | liquid chromatography |
l | litre |
LDPE | low density polyethylene |
MALDI-TOF-MS | matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight MS |
m-equiv. | milli-equivalent |
M | molar concentration |
max. | maximum |
min | minute (time) |
min. | minimum |
mol | mole |
mol. wt. | molecular weight |
m.p. | melting point |
MPN | most probable number |
Mr | relative molecular mass |
MRL | maximum residue limit |
MS | mass spectrometry |
N | Newton (kg m / s2) |
N. | North, Northern, etc. |
N | normal concentration |
NAA | neutron activation analysis |
NIR | near infrared |
NMR | nuclear magnetic resonance |
NPR | net protein ratio |
NPU | net protein utilization |
P | probability |
Pa | pascal (N/m2) |
PAGE | polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis |
PAH | polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons |
PCB | polychlorinated bi-phenyls |
PCR | polymerase chain reaction |
PER | protein efficiency ratio |
PET | polyethylenetereph-thalate |
PFGE | pulsed-field gel electrophoresis |
pfu | plaque forming unit |
ppb | parts per billion |
ppm | parts per million |
ppt | parts per trillion |
PUFA | polyunsaturated fatty acids |
PSE | pale soft exudative |
PTFE | polytetrafluoroethylene |
PVC | polyvinyl chloride |
PVDC | polyvinylidene chloride |
RAPD | randomly amplified polymorphic DNA |
RDA | recommended dietary allowance |
RDI | recommended daily intake |
ref. | reference(s) |
RFLP | restriction fragment length polymorphism |
RH | relative humidity |
RP-HPLC | reverse phase HPLC |
rpm | revolutions per minute |
S. | South, Southern, etc. |
s.d. | standard deviation |
SDS | sodium dodecylsulphate |
s.e. | standard error |
s | second (time) |
SEM | scanning electron microscopy/micro-graph(s) |
SNF | solids-not-fat |
sp., spp. | species |
sp. gr. | specific gravity |
Suppl. | Supplement |
t | metric tonne |
TBA | thiobarbituric acid |
TBARS | TBA reactive substances |
TBHQ | tert-butylhydroquinone |
TEM | transmission electron microscopy/micro-graph(s) |
temp. | temperature |
TLC | thin layer chromatography |
TS | total solids |
TSS | total soluble solids |
UHT | ultra-hightemperature |
USDA | United States Department of Agriculture |
UV | ultraviolet |
V | volt |
var. | variety |
vol. | volume |
v/v | volume/volume |
W | watt |
W. | West, Western, etc. |
WHO | World Health Organization |
w/v | weight/volume |
wk | week |
wt. | weight |
yr | year |

- Some abbreviations, if too broadly used, may retrieve irrelevant records. Try to narrow your search so that the search engine strictly interprets your query.
- Some abbreviations, such as FAO, EPA, and USDA, may be entered in the Group Author field. In this instance, enter both the abbreviated name and the full name. For example, search on USDA AND United States Department of Agriculture instead of just USDA.
- Chemical symbols and widely recognized abbreviations for bio-chemicals are commonly used in the records.
- Special Characters
- > greater than
- > greater than or equal to; not less than
- < less than
- < less than or equal to; not greater than