Organic food quality – axioms and ambiguities

During last decades the consumer trust in food quality has drastically decreased, mainly because of the growing ecological awareness and several food scandals. Consumers started to look for safer and better controlled foods, produced in more environmentally friendly system. Organically produced foods are widely believed to satisfy the above demands; up to now research studies have partly confirmed this opinion. Organic crops contain fewer nitrates and nitrites and fewer residues of pesticides than conventional ones. They contain as a rule more dry matter, vitamin C, phenolic compounds, valuable amino acids and total sugars; however the level of carotenoids is often higher in conventional plant products. Organic crops contain often more mineral compounds; they have usually better sensory and storage quality. Farm animals from organic herds and small experimental mammals fed organically show often better health and fertility parameters. However, there are also some negatives: plant and animal production in organic system show lower yield than in conventional production. Several important problems need to be investigated and settled in coming years: environmental contamination of the organic crops, bacterial and fungi contamination. The impact of the organic food consumption on human health and well being still remains unknown and needs explanation

Comparison of the Nutritive Quality of Tomato Fruits from Organic and Conventional Production in Poland

Organic horticulture is generally accepted as friendly to the environment, good for crop quality and also for the consumer’s health. Recent research data has shown that organic crops under organic farming practices contained more bioactive substances such as flavones, vitamin C, carotenoids; they also contain less pesticides residues, nitrates and nitrites. Five tomato cultivars: four large – fruit (Rumba, Juhas, Kmicic, Gigant) and one cherry cultivar (Koralik) were selected for study. The organic tomato fruits contained more dry matter, total and reducing sugars, vitamin C, total flavones and beta-carotene, but less lycopene in comparison to conventionally grown tomatoes

Influence of Processing on Bioactive Substances Content and Antioxidant Properties of Apple Purée from Organic and Conventional Production in Poland

The organic food market is developing dynamically in many European countries and therefore studies concerning the nutritive value of organically produced foods are becoming increasingly important. It was found appropriate to conduct studies on selected bioactive substances and antioxidant properties of apple preserves prepared from organic vs. conventional apples. Three apple cultivars, Lobo, Boskoop and Cortland, were grown in organic and conventional orchards in the Mazovia region in Poland. Dry matter, total phenols, vitamin C, total flavones and antioxidant activity were determined in fresh and pasteurized apple purée. The apple purée prepared from the organic apples contained significantly more total phenols, vitamin C, total flavones and showed a higher antioxidant capacity than the preserves prepared from conventional apples. Processing had a negative effect on both antioxidant capacity and bioactive substances. After pasteurization, the content of vitamin C, total phenols and flavones and antioxidant properties have decreased in the apple purée from both agricultural systems (organic and conventional)

Analysis of organic and conventional beetroot juice assortment in Warsaw shops and consumer sensory evaluation of selected products

Organic food is produced in accordance with strictly defined rules, established by the European Union legislation. Thanks to this is considered to be safer and healthier than produced conventionally. Many studies show that organic products, especially vegetables, fruits and preserves contained more dry matter, vitamin C, vitamin B group, total sugar, indispensable amino acids and mineral compounds. At the same time organic plant products usually have been in general better evaluated in terms of taste and smell than conventional food. The aim of this study was to analyze the assortment of beetroot juice from organic and conventional stores in Warsaw, Poland and consumer sensory evaluation of selected products. Analysis of the products was carried out in grocery stores taking into account the size of usable floor space - large-and small area, and due to the specific origin of the range of products - organic and conventional food stores. The results showed that the market of beetroot juices were diverse - organic producers juices were available mainly in specialist organic stores, and conventional juices were available in all the analyzed places. Consumer sensory evaluation, which was conducted among the students, showed that consumers did not have a explicit preference for the taste, smell, color and consistency of beet juice, due to the origin of the product

The Seasonal Variation in Bioactive Compounds Content in Juice from Organic and Non-organic Tomatoes

A specific objective of this paper was to evaluate seasonal changes in bioactive compounds level (carotenoids and polyphenols) in juice prepared from organic and non-organic tomatoes in Poland. In the examined tomato juice, the content of dry matter, vitamin C, carotenoids as well as polyphenols (by HPLC method) has been measured. The presented results indicate the impact of the growing system and the year of production on the composition of tomato juice. The organic tomato juice contained significantly more beta-carotene, chlorogenic acid, rutin as well as more total phenolic acids, gallic acid, p-coumaric acid, total flavonoids, quercetin-3-O-glucoside and quercetin in comparison with the non-organic. The tomato juice from 2008 contained significantly more carotenoids and some flavonoids compared to the one produced in 2009, which contained significantly more dry matter, vitamin C, as well as quercetin and it derivatives. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11130-013-0352-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Biocompounds content in organic and conventional raspberry fruits

Raspberry fruits are a source of vitamin C, phenolic acids and flavonoids, including anthocyanins. There is scientific evidence that allows to assume that organic fruit and vegetables contain more bioactive compounds with antioxidant properties than plant crops from the conventional farming. The aim of the presented studies was to compare the contents of antioxidant compounds in two varieties of raspberries fruits came from certified organic and conventional production. The vitamin C content was determined using the titration method and spectrophotometry, and the content and composition of polyphenols (flavonols, anthocyanins and phenolic acids) was determined by HPLC method, with  identification of individual phenolic compounds according to the Fluca and Sigma Aldrich standards. Significant differences were found between raspberry fruits in the content of the analyzed compounds. Organic raspberries contained more flawonols, phenolic acids and anthocyanins in comparison to conventional ones. The applied method of cultivation did not impact the content of vitamin C in raspberries tested. The results show that the cultivation system is one of the factors influencing the content of certain substances with antioxidant character in raspberry fruits. However, there is a need for further detailed research, especially research carried out in similar growing conditions.Keywords: raspberries, organic fruits, flavonoids, phenolic acids, vitamin

From functional diversity to human well-being: A conceptual framework for agroecosystem sustainability

[EN] CONTEXT: Agricultural intensification contributes to global food security and well-being by supplying the food demand of a growing human population. However, ongoing land-use change and intensification seriously affect the abundance, diversity and distribution of species, besides many other impacts, thereby threatening the functioning of ecosystems worldwide. Despite the accumulating evidence that the current agricultural model is unsustainable, we are far from understanding the consequences of functional diversity loss for functioning and ecosystem service supply and the potential long-term threats to food security and human well-being. OBJECTIVE: In this review, we propose a conceptual framework to understand the relationships between functional diversity and human well-being that also considers agroecosystem health. To this end, we identify the most commonly assumed relationships linking functional diversity to regulating and provisioning agroecosystem services and their importance for human well-being, emphasising the most serious knowledge gaps in the in-dividual pathways of the conceptual framework. METHODS: A consortium formed by an international panel of experts from different disciplines including functional diversity, ecosystem services and human health compiled 275 articles. Members of the consortium proposed literature to exemplify each specific aspect of the conceptual framework in the text, in accordance with his/her field of expertise. The guideline for all experts was to focus mostly in current literature (38% of the references are from the last 5 years and 66% from the last decade), with special interest in reviews and synthesis articles (42% of the references), as well as meta-analyses and global studies (10% of the references). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The factors that influence agroecosystem health are extremely complex, involving both services and disservices related to land-use management and environmental conditions. The global human population needs sustainable and resilient agroecosystems and a concerted effort is needed to fundamentally redesign agricultural practices to feed the growing human population without further jeopardising the quality of life for future generations. We highlight the potential effects of land-use change and ecological intensification on the functional diversity of plant and animal communities, and the resulting consequences for ecosystem services and ultimately human health. SIGNIFICANCE: The resulting conceptual model is developed for researchers as well as policy makers high- lighting the need for a holistic approach to understand diversity impacts on human well-being. Finally, we document a major knowledge gap due to the lack of any studies focusing on the full pathway from diversity to human well-being.S

Higher antioxidant and lower cadmium concentrations and lower incidence of pesticide residues in organically grown crops: a systematic literature review and meta-analyses

201