Development of an updated, comprehensive food composition database for Australian-grown horticultural commodities

Australia supplies horticultural commodities to domestic and international markets; however, food composition data for many commodities are outdated or unavailable. We produced a nationally representative dataset of up to 148 nutrient components in 92 Australian-grown fruit (fresh n = 39, dried n = 6), vegetables (n = 43) and nuts (n = 4) by replacing outdated data (pre-2000), confirming concentrations of important nutrients and retaining relevant existing data. Primary samples (n = 902) were purchased during peak growing season in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth between June 2021 and May 2022. The new data reflect current growing practices, varieties, climate and analytical methods, and will be incorporated into the Australian Food Composition Database, allowing free online access to stakeholders. The decisions made in building the new database are outlined, along with considerations when updating food composition data for horticultural commodities. The approach used could serve as a model for cost-effective updates of national food composition databases worldwide.