Exploring the world of databases

Databases have always been useful to have a safe, easy and fast access to information, helping the sharing of knowledge and feeding the research in different fields. In particular, with the growing interest in the adoption of healthier diets, at the same time several databases have been developed to collect information related to nutrition, food components and supplements, as well as start-ups and food companies interested in the field of plant proteins.

There are databases that deal with more technical knowledge, such as amino acid sequencing of proteins, or platforms that encapsulate biological information about seeds:

Uniprot: is a collaboration between the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics SIB and the Protein Information Resource (PIR).

This database offers various functional information about proteinsÂ as amino acid sequence, protein name and description, taxonomic data and citation information (Open access).

EU Organic Seed Database : includes the databases that each country in the European Union is required to maintain indicating available organic seeds, so that farmers can easily identify organic seed suppliers in their countries. (Open access)

Also, related to the growing interest in adopting sustainable diets, you can consult databases that inform about the different types of plant proteins, supplements or food components present in the food we consume daily:

The Good Food Institute Plant Proteins database: includes a list of the different matrices used to obtain plant proteins, listing basic information such as description and scientific name, and more details such as possible suppliers, environmental impact, main proteins and protein content, as well as their possible uses. (Open access)
Food Data Central: run by the Agricultural Research Service’s Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center and hosted by the National Agricultural Library. This database analyzes and reports data on nutrients and food components, also providing links to related agricultural and experimental research. (Open access)
FoodB: It is a database on food components. It provides information on both macronutrients and micronutrients, including many of the components that give foods their flavor, color, taste, texture, and aroma. (Open access)
Supplement database : it includes ingredients for supplement development, and the products themselves. The Supplement Database evaluates 229 ingredients in 23 categories, and offers information regarding ingredients, dosage, and claims in the marketplace.(Open access)

In addition to this, taking advantage of this interest in vegetable proteins and the increase of vegan and vegetarian diets, several platforms were created including lists of different companies and start-ups committed to the development and promotion of products that use alternative proteins.

The Protein Directory : this database contains several alternative protein businesses, and is intended as a platform where various players can get in touch with each other, having the chance to start or develop their own business in the field of plant proteins.(Open access)
New Protein Map : it is a map that offers an overview of the companies involved in the development of alternative proteins and plant products. It is constantly updated, dividing the different businesses by category: cell-based, plant-based, ingredients. The map also presents accelerators, incubators, research institutes and funding bodies acting in the field of alternative proteins.(Open access)

What about Protilla?

Also Protilla was born as a database with the purpose of helping professionals in the food and cosmetic industry when searching for the ideal vegetable protein for the desired application.

Protilla is unique in its ability to associate the features and functional properties of vegetable proteins (type, color, free-from, water holding capacity, oil holding capacity, emulsion, foaming and gelling) to their perfect application in the food or cosmetic field. In fact, the user can indicate the characteristics and functional properties of the protein they are looking for, and Protilla will show the most suitable results based on the choices made.

To date Protilla is the only database able to do this, and for this reason it is an excellent tool for the development of innovative plant-based products.