With the demand for organically produced food increasing, and therefore the marketing and business opportunities for exaggerated benefits, scientists are reporting new evidence that organically grown onions, carrots, and potatoes generally do not have higher levels of healthful antioxidants and related substances than vegetables grown with traditional fertilizers and pesticides. Their study appears the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
In the study, Pia Knuthsen and colleagues point out that while there are reasons consumers may want to pay a premium for organic food products, including animal welfare and environmental advocacy issues, any superior health benefits of organic food consumption are still controversial and not considered scientifically well documented.
The scientists describe experiments in which they analyzed antioxidants termed polyphenols from onions, carrots and potatoes grown using conventional and organic methods. They found no differences in polyphenol content for organic vs. traditional methods of growth.
"On the basis of the present study carried out under well controlled conditions, it cannot be concluded that organically grown onions, carrots, and potatoes generally have higher contents of health-promoting secondary metabolites in comparison with the conventionally cultivated ones," the report states.
Citation: Malene Søltoft, John Nielsen, Kristian Holst Laursen, Søren Husted, Ulrich Halekoh, and Pia Knuthsen, 'Effects of Organic and Conventional Growth Systems on the Content of Flavonoids in Onions and Phenolic Acids in Carrots and Potatoes', J. Agric. Food Chem., 2010, 58 (19), pp 10323–10329 Publication Date (Web): September 22, 2010 (Article) DOI: 10.1021/jf101091c