A literature-based comparison of nutrient and contaminant contents between organic and conventional vegetables and potatoes

British Food Journal

Volumn 111, Issue 10, 2009, Pages 1078-1097

  Hoefkens, Christine ^a   Vandekinderen, Isabelle ^a   de Meulenaer, Bruno ^a   Devlieghere, Frank ^a   Baert, Katleen ^a   Sioen, Isabelle ^a   de Henauw, Stefaan ^a   Verbeke, Wim ^a   van Camp, John ^a  

^a GHENT UNIVERSITY   (Belgium)

Author keywords

Agricultural products; Consumer psychology; Contamination; Nutrition; Organic foods; Vegetables

Indexed keywords

DAUCUS CAROTA; LACTUCA; LYCOPERSICON ESCULENTUM; SOLANUM TUBEROSUM; SPINACIA OLERACEA;

EID: 70350370455     PISSN: 0007070X     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1108/00070700910992934     Document Type: Article

References (97)

1. Beemster, C.J.M., van der Heijden, L.J.M., Hulshof, K.F.A.M., Langius, J.A.E., van Oosten, H.M., Pruissen-Boskaljon, J.C. and Westenbrink, S. (2001), Nevo-tabel, Nederlands voedingsstoffenbestand, Nederlands Voedingscentrum, Den Haag.
2. Bonti-Ankomah, S. and Yiridoe, E.K. (2006), Organic and Conventional Food: A Literature Review of the Economics of Consumer Perceptions and Preferences, Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada, Toronto, p. 59.
3. Bourn, D. and Prescott, J. (2002), A comparison of the nutritional value, sensory qualities, and food safety of organically and conventionally produced foods, Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, Vol. 42 No. 1, pp. 1-34.
4. Brandt, K. and Molgaard, J.P. (2001), Organic agriculture: does it enhance or reduce the nutritional value of plant foods?, Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, Vol. 81 No. 9, pp. 924-31.
5. Danish Institute for Food and Veterinary Research (2006), Danish Food Composition Databank (revision 6.0), Danish Institute for Food and Veterinary Research, Copenhagen, available at: www.foodcomp.dk (accessed December 2006).
6. Dedaza, M.S.T. and Diaz, R.V. (1994), Ecological and food safety considerations in products of plant-origin, Archivos Latinoamericanos de Nutricion, Vol. 44 No. 4, pp. 232-41.
7. European Communities (EC) (1991), "Commission Regulation No. 2092/91 of 24 June 1991 on organic production of agricultural products and indications referring thereto on agricultural products and foodstuffs", Official Journal OJ L198, 22 July.
8. European Commission (EC) (2005), Report on organic farming in the European Union: facts and figures, Direction générale de l'agriculture et du développement rural, available at: http:// ec.europa.eu/agriculture/qual/organic/facts_en.pdf (accessed February 2008).
9. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) (1999), "Organic agriculture", Committee on Agriculture, 15th Session, Rome, 25-29 January, available at: www.fao.org/unfao/bodies/coag/Coag15/X0075E.htm#P86_4004 (accessed February 2008).
10. Health Canada (2006), Canadian Nutrient File (Version 2006), Health Canada, Ontario, available at: www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/fiche-nutri-data/index_e.html (accessed December 2006).
11. Hoefkens, C., Sioen, I., De Henauw, S., Vandekinderen, I., Baert, K., De Meulenaer, B., Devlieghere, F. and Van Camp, J. (2008), Development of vegetable composition databases based on available data for probabilistic nutrient and contaminant intake assessments, Food Chemistry, Vol. 113 No. 3, pp. 799-803.
12. Holden, P. (2002), Organic Farming, Food Quality and Human Health: A Review of the Evidence, Report of The Soil Association, London, p. 87.
13. Hung, H.C., Joshipura, K.J., Jiang, R., Hu, F.B., Hunter, D., Smith-Warner, S.A., Colditz, G.A., Rosner, B., Spiegelman, D. and Willett, W.C. (2004), Fruit and vegetable intake and risk of major chronic disease, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 96 No. 21, pp. 1577-84.
14. Magkos, F., Arvaniti, F. and Zampelas, A. (2003), Putting the safety of organic food into perspective, Nutrition Research Reviews, Vol. 16 No. 2, pp. 211-22.
15. Magkos, F., Arvaniti, F. and Zampelas, A. (2006), Organic food: buying more safety or just peace of mind? A critical review of the literature, Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, Vol. 46 No. 1, pp. 23-56.
16. Malmauret, L., Parent-Massin, D., Hardy, J.-L. and Verger, P. (2002), Contaminants in organic and conventional foodstuffs in France, Food Additives and Contaminants, Vol. 19 No. 6, pp. 524-32.
17. National Institute of Statistics (NIS) (2008), Statistics of Agriculture and Biological Agriculture, based on data of the Ministry of the Flemish Community, Ministry of the Walloon Community and Bioforum, available at: http://statbel.fgov.be/home_en.asp (accessed 14 February 2008).
18. National Public Health Institute of Finland (2006), Finnish Food Composition Database, National Public Health Institute of Finland, Helsinki, available at: www.fineli.fi (accessed December 2006).
19. Rembialkowska, E. (2003), Organic farming as a system to provide better vegetable quality, Acta Horticulturae, Vol. 604 No. 52, pp. 473-9.
20. Rembialkowska, E. (2007), Quality of plant products from organic agriculture, Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, Vol. 87 No. 15, pp. 2757-62.
21. Riboli, E. and Norat, T. (2003), "Epidemiologic evidence of the protective effect of fruits and vegetables on cancer risk", American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 78 No. 3, pp. 559S-69S.
22. Sioen, I., De Henauw, S., Verdonck, F., Van Thuyne, N. and Van Camp, J. (2007a), Development of a nutrient database and distributions for use in a probabilistic risk-benefit analysis of human seafood consumption, Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, Vol. 20 No. 8, pp. 662-70.
23. Sioen, I., Van Camp, J., Verdonck, F.A.M., Van Thuyne, N., Willems, J.L. and De Henauw, S.W.J. (2007b), How to use secondary data on seafood contamination for probabilistic exposure assessment purposes? Main problems and potential solutions, Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, Vol. 13 No. 3, pp. 632-57.
24. Souci, S.W., Fachmann, W. and Kraut, H. (2000), Food composition and nutrition tables, Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Lebensmittelchemie, Stuttgart, Germany, p. 1182.
25. US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (2006), USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 19, available at: www.ars.usda.gov/nutrientdata/ (accessed December 2006).
26. US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) (2000), Assigning Values to Non-Detected/non-quantidfied Pesticide Residues in Human Health Food Exposure Assessments, Office of Pesticide Programs, Washington, DC, p. 33.
27. VZW NUBEL (2006), Merknamendatabank, available at: www.internubel.be (accessed December 2006).
28. Williams, P.R.D. and Hammitt, J.K. (2001), Perceived risks of conventional and organic produce: pesticides, pathogens and natural toxins, Risk Analysis, Vol. 21 No. 2, pp. 319-30.
29. Woese, K., Lange, D., Boess, C. and Bögl, K.W. (1997), A comparison of organically and conventionally grown foods - results of a review of the relevant literature, Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, Vol. 74 No. 3, pp. 281-93.
30. Worthington, V. (1998), Effect of agricultural methods on nutritional quality: a comparison of organic with conventional crops, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, Vol. 4 No. 1, pp. 58-69.
31. Worthington, V. (2001), Nutritional quality of organic versus conventional fruits, vegetables and grains, Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Vol. 7 No. 2, pp. 161-73.
32. Zhao, X., Carey, E.E., Wang, W.Q. and Rajashekar, C.B. (2006), Does organic production enhance phytochemical content of fruit and vegetables? Current knowledge and prospects for research, Horttechnology, Vol. 16 No. 3, pp. 449-56.
33. Abreu, P., Relva, A., Matthew, S., Gomez, Z. and Morais, Z. (2007), High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of glycoalkaloids in potatoes from conventional, integrated, and organic crop systems, Food Control, Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 40-4.
34. Abushita, A.A., Hebshi, E.A., Daood, H.G. and Biacs, P.A. (1997), Determination of antioxidant vitamins in tomatoes, Food Chemistry, Vol. 60 No. 2, pp. 207-12.
35. Amlinger, F. (1993), Handbuch der Compostierung, Louis Bolk Institute, Utrecht, p. 282.
36. Andersen, J.H. and Poulsen, M.E. (2001), Results from the monitoring of pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables on the Danish market, 1998-1999, Food Additives and Contaminants, Vol. 18 No. 10, pp. 906-31.
37. Avery, D.T. (1998), "The hidden dangers of organic food", American Outlook, Fall, pp. 19-22.
38. Baars, A.J., van Donkersgoed, G. and Noordam, M.Y. (2005), Aangevuld advies inzake cadmium en zink in dierlijke en plantaardige producten afkomstig uit de Brabantse kempen, RIVM-RIKILT front office voedselveiligheid, Project V/320110/05/AA - 800 71904 01, Bilthoven, p. 8.
39. Bergquist, S.A.M., Gertsson, U.E. and Olsson, M.E. (2006), "Influence of growth stage and postharvest storage on ascorbic acid and carotenoid content and visual quality of baby spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.)", Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, Vol. 86 No. 3, pp. 346-55.
40. BLIK & Ecocert (2006), "Monitoring data van Blik en Ecocert", personal communication.
41. Caris-Veyrat, C., Amiot, M.J., Tyssandier, V., Grasselly, D., Buret, M., Mikolajczak, M., Guilland, J.C., Bouteloup-Demange, C. and Borel, P. (2004), Influence of organic versus conventional agricultural practice on the antioxidant microconstituent content of tomatoes and derived purees: consequences on antioxidant plasma status in humans, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Vol. 52 No. 21, pp. 6503-9.
42. Cieslik, E. and Sikora, E. (1998), Correlation between the levels of nitrates and nitrites and the contents of potassium, calcium and magnesium in potato tubers, Food Chemistry, Vol. 63 No. 4, pp. 525-8.
43. Consumentenbond (2006), "Vergelijking van biologische en reguliere groenten", Consumentenbond, August, p. 24.
44. de Winter-Sorkina, R., Bakker, M.I., van Donkersgoed, G. and van Klaveren, J.D. (2003), Dietary Intake of Heavy Metals (Cadmium, Lead and Mercury) by the Dutch Population, RIVM report 320103001/2003, Bilthoven, p. 49.
45. DGAL/COOPAGRI/ESMISAB (2001), Evaluation de l'exposition des consommateurs etproduits issus de l'agriculture biologique et de l'agriculture conventionnelle aux résidus de pesticides, métaux lourds, nitrates, nitrites et mycotoxines, DGAL/COOPAGRI/ ESMISAB Encart de Notre Alimentation No. 37, Marseille, p. 6.
46. Djuric, Z. and Powell, L.C. (2001), Antioxidant capacity of lycopene-containing foods, International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, Vol. 52 No. 2, pp. 143-9.
47. Dumas, Y., Dadomo, M., Di Lucca, G. and Grolier, P. (2003), Effects of environmental factors and agricultural techniques on antioxidant content of tomatoes, Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, Vol. 83 No. 5, pp. 369-82.
48. EC (2000), Monitoring of pesticide residues in products of plant origin in the European Union and Norway - Report 1998, EC SANCO/2597/00-Final, Brussels, p. 33.
49. EC (2004), Monitoring of Pesticide Residues in Products of Plant Origin in the European Union, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein - Report 2002, EC SANCO/17/04 final, Brussels, p. 73.
50. EuroFIR (2006), EuroFIR BioActive Substances in Foods Information System (BASIS) Database, available at: www.polytec.dk/ebasis/Default.asp (accessed October 2006).
51. FAVV (2005), Pesticide residue monitoring in food of plant origin - Belgium, FAVV, Brussels, personal communication.
52. Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (2002), Results of the German Food Monitoring of the Years 1995-2002, Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety, Braunschweig, p. 21.
53. Fjelkner-Modig, S., Bengtsson, S., Stegmark, R. and Nystrom, S. (2000), The influence of organic and integrated production on nutritional, sensory and agricultural aspects of vegetable raw materials for food production, Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica: Section B - Plant Soil Science, Vol. 50 No. 3, pp. 102-13.
54. Food Standards Agency (FSA) (1998), Nitrate in vegetables, Food Information Surveillance Sheet, No. 158, Food Standards Agency (FSA), Aberdeen, p. 9.
55. Food Standards Agency (FSA) (2000), Position Paper: Food Standards Agency View on Organic Foods, Food Standards Agency (FSA), Aberdeen, available at: www.foodstandards.gov.uk (accessed July 2007).
56. Friedman, M. (2004), "Analysis of biologically active compounds in potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum), and jimson weed (Datura stramonium) seeds", Journal of Chromatography A, Vol. 1054 Nos 1-2, pp. 143-55.
57. Fromberg, A., Larsen, E.H., Hartkopp, H., Larsen, J.C., Granby, K., Jorgensen, K., Rasmussen, P.H., Cederberg, T., Cederberg, T. and Christensen, T. (2005), Chemical Contaminants. Food Monitoring, 1998-2003, FodevareRapport 2005:01, Part 1, Danish Institute for Food and Veterinary Research, Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, Ministry of Family and Consumer Affairs, Copenhagen, p. 150.
58. Gerster, H. (1997), The potential role of lycopene for human health, Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 16 No. 2, pp. 109-26.
59. Guerrero, C.C., Debrito, J.C., Lapa, N. and Oliveira, J.F.S. (1995), Reuse of industrial orange wastes as organic fertilizers, Bioresource Technology, Vol. 53 No. 1, pp. 43-51.
60. Hajslova, J., Schulzova, V., Slanina, P., Janne, K., Hellenas, K.E. and Andersson, C. (2005), Quality of organically and conventionally grown potatoes: four-year study of micronutrients, metals, secondary metabolites, enzymic browning and organoleptic properties, Food Additives and Contaminants, Vol. 22 No. 6, pp. 514-34.
61. Hart, D.J. and Scott, K.J. (1995), Development and evaluation of an HPLC method for the analysis of carotenoids in foods, and the measurement of the carotenoid content of vegetables and fruits commonly consumed in the UK, Food Chemistry, Vol. 54 No. 1, pp. 101-11.
62. Hoogenboom, L.A.P., Bokhorst, J.G., Northolt, M.D., Broex, N.J.G., Mevius, D., Meijs, J.A.C. and van der Roest, J. (2006), Contaminanten en micro-organismen in biologische producten: vergelijking met gangbare producten, Report No. 2006.002, Institute of Food Safety, Wageningen, p. 52.
63. Jansson, G. and Oborn, I. (2000), Cadmium content of Swedish carrots and the influence of soil factors, Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica: Section B-Soil and Plant Science, Vol. 50 No. 2, pp. 49-56.
64. Jorgensen, K., Larsen, E.H., Petersen, A., Lund, K.H., Hilbert, G., Andersen, N.L., Hallas-Moller, T. and Larsen, J.C. (2001), Chemical Contaminants. Food Monitoring, 1993-1997, FodevareRapport 2001:18, Part 2, Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Copenhagen, p. 133.
65. Jorhem, L. and Slanina, P. (2000), Does organic farming reduce the content of Cd and certain other trace metals in plant foods? A pilot study, Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, Vol. 80 No. 1, pp. 43-8.
66. Kaack, K., Nielsen, M., Christensen, L.P. and Thorup-Kristensen, K. (2001), Nutritionally important chemical constituents and yield of carrot (Daucus carota L.) roots grown organically using ten levels of green manure, Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica Section B-Soil and Plant Science, Vol. 51 No. 3, pp. 125-36.
67. Karavoltsos, S., Sakellari, A., Dimopoulos, M., Dasenakis, M. and Scoullos, M. (2002), Cadmium content in foodstuffs from the Greek market, Food Additives and Contaminants, Vol. 19 No. 10, pp. 954-62.
68. Kidmose, U., Knuthsen, P., Edelenbos, M., Justesen, U. and Hegelund, E. (2001), Carotenoids and flavonoids in organically grown spinach (Spinacia oleracea L) genotypes after deep frozen storage, Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, Vol. 81 No. 9, pp. 918-23.
69. Larsen, E.H., Andersen, N.L., Moller, A., Petersen, A., Mortensen, G.K. and Petersen, J. (2002), Monitoring the content and intake of trace elements from food in Denmark, Food Additives and Contaminants, Vol. 19 No. 1, pp. 33-46.
70. Lucarini, M., Di Lullo, G., Cappelloni, M. and Lombardi-Boccia, G. (2000), "In vitro estimation of iron and zinc dialysability from vegetables and composite dishes commonly consumed in Italy: effect of red wine", Food Chemistry, Vol. 70 No. 1, pp. 39-44.
71. Lumpkin, H.M. (2005), A Comparison of Lycopene and Other Phytochemicals in Tomatoes Grown Under Conventional and Organic Management Systems, Report 34 No. 05-623, AVRDC, Tainan, p. 48.
72. Neuhoff, D., Schulz, D.G. and Köpke, U. (1999), "Yield and quality of potato tubers: effects of different intensity and kind of manuring (biodynamic or organic)", in Foguelman, D. and Lockeretz, W. (Eds), Organic Agriculture - the Credible Solution for the XXIst Century, Proceedings of the 12th IFOAM Scientific Conference, pp. 142-6.
73. Oseredczuk, M., Salvini, S., Roe, M. and Moller, A. (2007), Guidelines for Quality Index Attribution to Original Data from Scientific Literature or Reports for EuroFIR Data Interchange, Draft document, EuroFIR Work Package 1.3, Task Group 4, available at: www.eurofir.org (accessed February 2008).
74. PRC (2001), Annual Report of the Pesticide Residues Committee 2000, PRC, York, p. 33.
75. PRC (2003), Annual Report of the Pesticide Residues Committee 2002, PRC, York, p. 36.
76. PRC (2004), Annual Report of the Pesticide Residues Committee 2003, Pesticide Residues Committee (PRC), York, p. 40, available at: www.pesticides.gov.uk/prc.asp?id=796 (accessed October 2006).
77. PRC (2005), Annual Report of the Pesticide Residues Committee 2004, Pesticide Residues Committee (PRC), York, p. 40, available at: www.pesticides.gov.uk/prc.asp?id=998 (accessed October 2006).
78. PRC (2006), Annual Report of the Pesticide Residues Committee 2005, Pesticide Residues Committee (PRC), York, p. 32, available at: www.pesticides.gov.uk/prc.asp?id=1673 (accessed October 2006).
79. Puupponen-Pimia, R., Häkkinen, S.T., Aarni, M., Suortti, T., Lampi, A.M., Eurola, M., Piironen, V., Nuutila, A.M. and Oksman-Caldentey, K.-M. (2003), Blanching and long-term freezing affect various bioactive compounds of vegetables in different ways, Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, Vol. 83 No. 14, pp. 1389-402.
80. Rattler, S., Briviba, K., Birzele, B. and Köpke, U. (2005), "Effect of agronomic management practices on lettuce quality", in Köpke, U., Niggli, U., Neuhoff, D., Cornish, P. and Lockeretz, W. (Eds), Researching Sustainable Systems, Proceedings of the 1st Scientific Conference of the International Society of Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR), Adelaide, South Australia, 21-23 September, pp. 188-91.
81. Rembialkowska, E. (2006), "Evaluation of daily consumption of nutritive compounds with vegetarian and vegan diet based on organic food", personal communication, p. 17.
82. Rembialkowska, E., Hallmann, E. and Szafirowska, A. (2006), "Nutritive quality of tomato fruits from organic and conventional cultivation", Organic Food Quality & Health, No. 2, pp. 6-15.
83. Santamaria, P., Elia, A., Serio, F. and Todaro, E. (1999), A survey of nitrate and oxalate content in fresh vegetables, Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, Vol. 79 No. 13, pp. 1882-8.
84. Shi, J. and Le Maguer, M. (2000), Lycopene in tomatoes: chemical and physical properties affected by food processing, Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, Vol. 40 No. 1, pp. 1-42.
85. Stalikas, C.D., Mantalovas, A.C. and Pilidis, G.A. (1997), Multi-element concentrations in vegetable species grown in two typical agricultural areas of Greece, Science of the Total Environment, Vol. 206 No. 1, pp. 17-24.
86. Stephenson, J. (1997), Public health experts take aim at a moving target: foodborne infections, Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 277 No. 2, pp. 97-8.
87. Tamme, T., Reinik, M., Roasto, M., Juhkam, K., Tenno, T. and Kiis, A. (2006), Nitrates and nitrites in vegetables and vegetable-based products and their intakes by the Estonian population, Food Additives and Contaminants, Vol. 23 No. 4, pp. 355-61.
88. Thybo, A.K., Edelenbos, M., Christensen, L.P., Sorensen, J.N. and Thorup-Kristensen, K. (2006), Effect of organic growing systems on sensory quality and chemical composition of tomatoes, Lwt-Food Science and Technology, Vol. 39 No. 8, pp. 835-43.
89. Tonucci, L.H., Holden, J.M., Beecher, G.R., Khachik, F., Davis, C.S. and Mulokozi, G. (1995), Carotenoid content of thermally processed tomato-based food-products, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Vol. 43 No. 3, pp. 579-86.
90. Toor, R.K., Savage, G.P. and Heeb, A. (2006a), Influence of different types of fertilisers on the major antioxidant components of tomatoes, Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, Vol. 19 No. 1, pp. 20-7.
91. Toor, R.K., Savage, G.P. and Lister, C.E. (2006b), Seasonal variations in the antioxidant composition of greenhouse grown tomatoes, Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, Vol. 19 No. 1, pp. 1-10.
92. Tsao, R. and Yang, R. (2006), "Lutein in selected Canadian crops and agri-food processing by-products and purification by high-speed counter-current chromatography", Journal of Chromatography A, Vol. 1112 Nos 1-2, pp. 202-8.
93. Victorian Government, Department of Primary Industries (DPI) (2007), Victorian produce monitoring '87-'05, Victorian Produce Monitoring Program (VPMP), personal communication, January.
94. Warman, P.R. and Havard, K.A. (1997), "Yield, vitamin and mineral contents of organically and conventionally grown carrots and cabbage", Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, Vol. 61 Nos 2-3, pp. 155-62.
95. Warman, P.R. and Havard, K.A. (1998), Yield, vitamin and mineral contents of organically and conventionally grown potatoes and sweet corn, Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, Vol. 68 No. 3, pp. 207-16.
96. Williamson, C.S. (2007), Is organic food better for our health?, Nutrition Bulletin, Vol. 32 No. 2, pp. 104-8.
97. Yordanov, N.D., Novakova, E. and Lubenova, S. (2001), Consecutive estimation of nitrate and nitrite ions in vegetables and fruits by electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometry, Analytica Chimica Acta, Vol. 437 No. 1, pp. 131-8.