The CCDB houses data generated from samples collected in experimentally designed field trials in known locations. This methodology is designed to establish the range of variability in compositional components derived from raw agricultural commodities, which is why the database is widely used by product developers, researchers, and regulatory agencies as part of the safety assessments of GM traits in the context of the non-GM crop. 

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) incorporates the CCDB’s data into its internationally recognized, science-based consensus documents on compositional considerations for new cultivars of cotton, potato, rice, and soybean. The OECD publishes these documents with the aim of mutual recognition by its member countries.

Since its initial launch in 2003, the platform has undergone multiple iterations to improve its intuitiveness, ease of data access, and query results. Search parameters can be saved and pre-populated, and the different table types generated by the database can be exported in multiple formats. The paper uses case examples to illustrate the CCDB’s various capabilities.

All CCDB composition data come from crop tissue samples collected in field trials conducted across 19 countries over 27 years. In addition to existing data from North America, South America, Europe, and Australia, recent additions from the Republic of Korea, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, and Nigeria are making the database more globally representative.