About the Database
An understanding of the natural
variability in nutrient composition of crops is an important consideration in
the development of diets that promote the healthy growth of swine, poultry,
beef cattle, and other livestock animals, and contributes to overall knowledge
of human nutrition. When the ILSI Crop Composition Database (ILSI-CCDB) was
first launched in May 2003, most publicly available crop composition data
sources relied on data at least 20 years old, and, in many cases, the methods
used for the generation of these data were not known or their performance
parameters were not available. The ILSI-CCDB is designed to be a high quality,
comprehensive and easily accessible source of data for assessing the
compositional equivalence of new crop varieties as well as documenting the
broad natural variability in the composition of crops. Corn and soybean were
the first crops for which data were entered into the database, with cotton data
added to a subsequent version. All data can be traced to their source and every
data point is identified with its analytical method.1
Subsequent
updates to the ILSI-CCDB added a broader scope of conventional data on maize,
cotton, and soybeans, and improved search and data presentation capabilities.
Currently, the ILSI-CCDB contains more than 113,000 data points representing 94
compositional components in the three crops. Version 4 was released for public
access in October 2010; enhancements include a new intuitive graphical user
interface, increased performance, added security and additional features such
as unit conversion and multiple output options. Another notable improvement in
Version 4 is the Summary of Search Results tool, which allows users to
immediately view data of interest and guides the preparation of output reports.
These changes are described in detail in an article published in the Journal of
Food Composition and Analysis.2
Science Advisor
Wayne
Parrott, University of Georgia
Working Group Members
BASF Plant Science
Bayer CropScience
Covance, Inc.
Dow AgroSciences
Monsanto Company
Pioneer, a DuPont Company
Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC
Working
Group Leadership
Josh Buffington, Pioneer, a DuPont Company (Chair)
T.V. Venkatesh, Monsanto Company (Vice Chair)
- Ridley, W.P., Essner, R., Kramer, C., Phillips, A., Shillito, R.D., Reed, A., Hard, D., Dussold, P., and Kurtyka, L. Development of the International Life Sciences Institute Crop Composition Database. J. Food Comp. Anal., 2004;17:423-438.
- Alba, R., Phillips, A., Mackie, S., Gillikin, N., Maxwell, C., Brune, P., Ridley, W. P., Fitzpatrick, J., Levine, M. and Harris S. Improvements to the International Life Sciences Institute Crop Composition Database: A Report from the ILSI International Food Biotechnology Committee Task Force on Crop Composition. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. 2010;23:741–748.