Development of the International Life Sciences Institute Crop Composition Database*1

In May 2003, the International Life Sciences Institute released an online comprehensive Crop Composition Database (www.cropcomposition.org) that provides up-to-date information on the natural variability in composition of conventional crops. The database is a compilation of data on the nutrients, anti-nutrients, and secondary metabolites for maize and soybean samples obtained from controlled field trials, in multiple world-wide locations over a 6-year period. The analyses of the samples were conducted using validated analytical methods with reference citations and, in most cases, under the guidelines of Environmental Protection Agency Good Laboratory Practices. Version 1.0 of the database contains more than 53,000 data points that may be searched and accessed based upon user-selected queries. The database complements existing food and nutrient databases and should be of interest to research and regulatory scientists in many areas such as plant biology, food science, and animal nutrition.