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The purpose of this paper is a nutritional review of the scientific literature of four Rubus varieties: raspberry, blackberry, boysenberry and loganberry. The study aimed to review the scientific literature related to Rubus and the bioactives and key nutrients.

Nutrient data were obtained from Australia and New Zealand, where Australian data were absent; to provide an overview of the existing and available nutrient composition data, a review of the scientific literature using defined search terms in the Web of Science and Scopus databases for the years 2001-2011 was conducted. The primary components of Rubus are the water-soluble vitamins.

A review of Australian and New Zealand nutrient composition databases revealed that Rubus can range from 184 to 293 kJ energy, 0.3 to 0.7 per cent total fat content, 1.1 to 1.5 per cent protein, 4.9 to 7.5 per cent carbohydrate and 34 to 63 mg/100 g folate and 9 to 38 mg/100 g vitamin C. Many publications have addressed the nutrient content of the berries individually with 24 identified in this project relating to raspberries, 15 for blackberries, 3 for boysenberries and 2 for loganberries.

Research relating to bioactive compounds in Rubus berries appears to be targeted towards those more commonly consumed and readily available in Australia.

The most commonly identified bioactives were the phenolic compounds with ellagic acid, the specific bionutrient of interest. This suggests the need for a targeted approach to build a consistent set of values for bioactive compounds in Rubus berries.

Given the growing interest in phytochemical compounds and their inclusion in Australian Dietary Guidelines, collation of analytical data for specific food categories is vital.

The purpose of this paper is to summarise analysed nutrient data for Australian chicken meat and compare analysed data for Australian chicken meat with overseas data.

Analysed nutrient data for Australian chicken meat was compared with publicly available English language databases from overseas countries. Where similar cuts were available, ratio plots were developed to determine similarities and differences. Baked chicken leg was highest in total fat and wings were composed of the greatest amount of monounsaturated fat.

Nutrient values for calcium, zinc and vitamin E were greatest in the chicken leg, iron in the chicken thigh and the B vitamins varied between chicken breast (niacin), chicken thigh (riboflavin and thiamin). Data for Australian chicken meat was most different from European data and most similar to New Zealand data. The greatest variations were identified for the total fat and fatty acid values.

The large differences signify the importance of using local nutrient values and the need to regularly update food composition databases with analysed rather than calculated data.

This paper is unique as it provides comprehensive nutrient data for a lean meat source which is popular in Australia. The study also indicates the limitations associated with sourcing food composition data from other databases, despite using the same food name.