Use of the ILSI Crop Composition Database - International Life ...

Use of the ILSI Crop Composition
Database
Philip Brune
Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC
ILSI Crop Composition Database Working Group
ILSI-Brasil Workshop, Brasília, Brasil, 6 November 2012

Outline
• The role of compositional analysis in the safety
assessment
• ILSI Crop Composition Database
– Overview
– Data acceptance requirements for quality samples
– Extracting data from the database
– Future plans

The Role of Compositional
Analysis in the Safety Assessment:
• Mode of action
• Agronomic evaluation
• Compositional analysis
• Protein expression studies
• Allergenicity assessments
• Specific toxicity studies
Compositional analysis provides
information that is used in the
overall safety assessment of the
novel food/feed
3

The Importance of Crop Composition
Why should food crops be analyzed?
• Crop plants and their commodities such as oil,
protein, and starch are the raw materials for the
manufacture of food products
• Nutrients derived from food crops are essential for
normal growth and development
• Compositional analysis helps to ensure a safe and
plentiful food supply

Compositional Analysis Study
• Are there differences between the GM crop and its non-GM
comparator?
– Key components selected for analysis (represent appropriate
nutritional components and components of major metabolic
pathways)
• – Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
guidance documents
• How similar is the GM crop to what is considered to be the
conventional “safe” crop?
– Substantial equivalence
– Deviations beyond natural range may indicate fundamental changes in
the plant (further evaluation may be needed)
5

Assessing Biological Relevance
“The statistical significance of any observed differences
should be assessed in the context of the range of
natural variations for that parameter to determine its
biological significance.”
Codex Alimentarius. 2003. Guideline For The Conduct Of Food Safety
Assessment Of Foods Derived From Recombinant-DNA Plants.
CAC/GL 45-2003.
6

Characterization of Natural Variability
in Biochemical Composition
• The interaction of crop genetic background with the
environment results in natural variability in the levels of
components
• Natural variability must be considered when comparing
biotech to conventional crops
• An understanding of the natural variability in compositional
analytes enhances the scientific basis for the concept of
substantial equivalence

ILSI Crop Composition Database (CCDB)
• Task Force convened by ILSI International Food
Biotechnology Committee (IFBiC) in 2001
• Members of the Working Group:
» Bayer CropScience
» BASF
» Covance, Inc.
» Dow AgroSciences
» Monsanto
» Pioneer/DuPont
» Syngenta

ILSI Crop Composition Database (CCDB)
A comprehensive public database that provides
information on the natural variability in
composition of conventionally-bred crops
www.cropcomposition.org
9

Database Overview
– 3 crops (maize, soy, cotton) - conventional
– 3 tissues (forage, seed/grain)
– 94 unique analytes
– 10 years (1995 to 2005)
– 3000 samples; 115000 data points
– Meta-data (method, country, location, year,
variety, source)
10

Versions of the Database
• Version 1.0 - Released 2003
• Version 2.0 - Released 2004
• Version 3.0 - Released 2006
• Version 4.0 - Released 2010
• Version 4.1 - Released 2011
• Version 4.2 - Released 2011
11

Database Improvements
Version 3.0 Version 4.0
Language Perl Java
Hardware Early 2004 Late 2008
GUI* Outdated Simple, Intuitive
Speed 5 – 10 min 2 – 5 sec
Units of measure Limited Flexible
Data preview No Yes
LOQ No Yes
Data output Monitor Monitor, PDF, CSV
*Graphical User Interface
*Alba, R. et al., 2010, J. Food Comp. Analysis
12

Data Acceptance Criteria
• Samples used for analysis
– Sample from a single plot at one location from a single
controlled field trial (no averaging of values)
– Location of the plot
– Year of production and sample collection
– Variety grown
– Date of planting, harvesting, sample collection (not
submitted as part of the data)

Data Acceptance Criteria
• Analysis of samples
– All data points are associated with a referenced method
using certified or historically verified standards
– Validated methods
• list method and year of publication, provide references for
modifications
– Accredited / certified labs or labs experienced with the
specific methodology
– Quality control checks in place
– Records and data retained at least 5 years after submission

Natural Variability in Conventional Maize
Total fat and Crude protein in conventional maize grain (v4.0). The
analytes were measured in more than 1100 grain samples and the
data were binned prior to plotting the histograms. (Alba et al. 2010)
15

Usage Statistics in 2010-2011
Visitors/day: ~150 (unique)
Page views/visit: ~6
Busiest Days: Mondays & Fridays
16

Relevance of Database to Users
• Considered a valuable resource by:
– Government Agencies
– Scientific / Academic Institutions
– FAO Food and Nutrition Division
– OECD Task Force for the Safety of Novel Foods and
Feeds
– ILSI Task Force on Improved Nutrition Crops
17

Extracting Data From the Database
How to access the ILSI Crop Composition
Database (CCDB) and how to navigate through
the different screens
www.cropcomposition.org

Welcome Page (Screen 1)

Primary Search Criteria (Screen 2)

Summary of Search Results (Screen 3)
More
Below

Summary of Search Results (Screen 3)
More
Below

Summary of Search Results (Screen 3)
More
Below

Summary of Search Results (Screen 3)
More
Below

Summary of Search Results (Screen 3)

Report Options (Screen 4)

Report Output (Screen 5)
(Summary Report)

Report Options (Screen 4)

Report Output (Screen 5)
(Detailed Report)

Summary of Search Results (Screen 3)

Report Output (Screen 5)
(Detailed Report)

Primary Search Criteria (Screen 2)

Summary of Search Results (Screen 3)

Summary of Search Results (Screen 3)

Summary of Search Criteria (Screen 3)

Summary of Search Criteria (Screen 3)
Click on each
to remove
OR:
Click here to begin new search

CCDB Search (Screen 5)

Report Options (Screen 4)

Report Output (Screen 5)
(Tabular Report)

Future Plans
• Better functionalities (Version 5.0)
– Data upload tools
– Curator interface tools
• Complete upload of data for maize, soybean, and
cotton (Version 5.0)
• Add new crops, tissues, analytes
examples: canola, wheat, rice, sugar beet, potato
www.cropcomposition.org

Publications
• Ridley et al, 2004 (Ridley, W.P., Shillito, R.D., Coats, I., Steiner,
H-Y, Shawgo, M., Phillips, A., Dussold, P., Kurtyka, L, 2004.
Development of the International Life Sciences Institute
Crop Composition Database. Journal of Food Composition
and Analysis 17, 423-438.)
• Alba R, Phillips A, Mackie S, Gillikin N, Maxwell C, Brune P,
Ridley W, Fitzpatrick J, Levine M, Harris S (2010).
Improvements to the International Life Sciences Institute
crop composition database. J. Food Composition and
Analysis 23:741-748.