New method could authenticate organic produce
Researchers from the Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority and the Wuerzburg University said that the global market value of organic food nearly tripled between 2002 and 2011, when it was valued at $62.8 billion.
Researchers are worried about organic food fraud because the price of organic produce is generally double that of conventional produce.
Despite the complications of developing methods of analysing the authenticity of organic produce, lead researcher Monika Hohmann and her colleagues were determined to find a newer, more efficient way of determining organic authenticity. Currently, the most reliable authentication method analyses the stable isotope composition of nitrogen. However, the test is not foolproof, according to researchers.
Hohmann and her team decided to explore a technique called nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, which has been used to verify organic honey and olive oil. For the latest study, Hohmann and her team used the technique to analyse tomatoes grown in greenhouses and outdoors, with conventional or organic fertilizers.
The findings revealed that analysis revealed significant differences between organic and conventional produce. Researchers said the latest findings suggest that nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is a good method to determine organic produce.
The findings have been published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Source: counselheal.com
