Alberta Food Composition Database

The Alberta Food Composition Database (AFCDB) is the first comprehensive resource on food constituents, chemistry and biology dedicated to major Alberta-grown produce. It provides information on both macronutrients and micronutrients, including many of the constituents that give foods their flavor, color, taste, texture and aroma. Users can view the contents of the AFCDB from the “FoodView” (listing foods by their chemical composition) or the “ChemView” (listing chemicals by their food sources).

Each food entry includes a scientific name, description, and classification, as well as a list of the compounds identified with their structure, concentration range, average concentration, and references. Each chemical entry in the AFCD contains over 70 fields of associated data, including classification, chemical properties, biological effects and interactions, spectra, and associated foods. Food constituents have been derived both from extensive literature searches and experimental data. Metabolomic profiling utilizing a combination of MS, NMR and HPLC-based techniques allowed the identification and quantification of several hundred metabolites in each food, including a number of new metabolites previously unmeasured for these Alberta-grown vegetables and fruits.

Currently, the AFCDB contains more than 30 foods and over 1700 metabolites, some of which have been identified, quantified and reported for the very first time.


Citing the Alberta Food Composition Database

AFCDB is offered to the public as a freely available presource. Use and re-distribution of the data, in whole or in part, for commercial purposes requires explicit permission of the authors and explicit acknowledgment of the source material (AFCDB).