Crop Composition Database

ILSI Launches Version 4.0 of the Crop Composition Database
The International Life Sciences Institute® (ILSI) proudly releases Version 4.0 of the Crop Composition Database (ILSI-CCDB, v4.0), ILSI’s comprehensive public database providing information on the natural variability in composition of conventionally grown crops.

Originally launched in 2003, the Crop Composition Database now has more than 113,000 data points representing 94 compositional components in corn, soybean, and cotton.

Version 4.0 presents an intuitive graphical-user interface; significantly increased performance; added security; new features such as unit conversion and multiple output options and a Summary of Search Results tool, which allows users to view data instantly and provides guidance on preparing output reports.

The database is available for public use (free of charge) will switch from v3.0 to v4.0 on 30 September 2010: www.cropcomposition.org

Crop, food, and feed composition studies are considered an essential part of the safety assessment of new crop varieties, including those developed through biotechnology.  Information obtained from such studies is used to assess similarities and differences in important nutrients and anti-nutrients.  The Crop Composition database was generated from crop composition data obtained from studies conducted by members of the agricultural biotechnology industry over a number of years at multiple worldwide locations.  Information in the database covers numerous biochemical parameters including proximates, amino acids, bio-actives, carbohydrates, fatty acids, fiber, minerals, vitamins, and other metabolites. 

The database complements existing food and nutrient databases, such as the USDA Nutrient Database and FAO’s INFOODS database, and is useful resource for researchers and regulatory scientists in the areas of plant biology, food science, and animal nutrition.  It is also valuable to companies who provide services to the food, feed, and agricultural biotechnology-related industries.

ILSI welcomes and highly encourages submission of other publicly available composition data that meet the acceptability criteria outlined on the website.

Publications
The enhancements to Version 4.0 are described in detail in Alba et. al (Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 2010; doi:10.1016/j.jfca.2010.03.007).