Organically produced apples have a 15 per cent higher antioxidant capacity than conventionally produced apples, says a new study from Germany.
Findings published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry add to the on-going debate over whether organically grown produce is more nutritious than conventionally grown produce. A report published in March 2008 by the Organic Center at America's Organic Trade Association argued that organic produce is 25 per cent more nutritious than conventional foodstuffs. I guess they were right! Well, we knew that. |
However (there's always a party pooper) these claims were countered by Joseph Rosen, emeritus professor at Rutgers University and scientific advisor to the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) who said the data was selective, and that, when recalculated, the data used in the original report showed that conventional products are actually 2 per cent more nutritious than organic varieties. Stroke me with a wilted lettuce leaf! Are these guys for real? And how do they come up with such calculations? We might never know, they haven't explained.
The researchers, led by Bernhard Watzl from the Federal Research Institute of Nutrition and Food in Karlsruhe, compared the polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity of Golden Delicious apples grown under organic and conventional conditions over a three year period (2004-2006). "In the present study the organically produced apples displayed a higher phytochemical concentration and a higher antioxidant capacity than conventionally produced apples," wrote Watzl.
According to their findings, in 2005 and 2006 the antioxidant capacity was 15 per cent higher in the organic fruit than the conventionally produced fruits. Organic apples grown in 2005 also had a higher polyphenol concentration, said the researchers.
Another organic denier, Claire Williamson from the British Nutrition Foundation, stated that the overall body of science does not support the view that organic food is more nutritious than conventionally grown food.
"Organic farming represents a sustainable method of agriculture that avoids the use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides and makes use of crop rotation and good animal husbandry to control pests and diseases. From a nutritional perspective, there is currently not enough evidence to recommend organic foods over conventionally produced foods."
Errrrrr, someone please tell ms Williamson how wrong that statement is!
Source: Source: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Published online ahead of print, 23 April 2009, doi: 10.1021/jf803961f
"Three-Year Comparison of the Polyphenol Contents and Antioxidant Capacities in Organically and Conventionally Produced Apples (Malus domestica Bork. Cultivar `Golden Delicious')"
Authors: B.A. Stracke, C.E. Rfer, F.P. Weibel, A. Bub, B. Watzl |
