Advances of organic products over conventional productions with respect to nutritional quality and food security

Abstract

Organic products are derived from the organic production system, following organic agricultural cultivation standards, and processing schedules must be identified by an independent certificate authority. The main characteristic of the organic agricultural production system is that all artificial synthetic materials such as pesticides, fertilizers, growth regulators, feed additives, and gene engineering products are not allowed to use. However, there is much debate on organic production quality and health safety issues in academic circles. Some people believe that there is a “Three Cannot” problem with organic production, that is, organic products “cannot be distinguished, cannot be tasted and cannot be measured” compared to common ones. To objectively reflect the differences in nutritional quality and food safety between organic and conventional products, we combined extensive literatures with our research data and have reported some advances in the sensory quality, nutritional value, and safety of the two types of products. The results showed that organic products tasted better; the percentage of leanness was higher, and the products tasted much tender. The dry matter content of most organic crops was about 7–20% higher than that of conventional foods, and enriched vitamin C, anthocyanins, isoflavones, carotenoids, and other phenolic compounds and more elements such as P, Fe, and Mg and trace elements such as Zn, Cu, and Cr were verified in organic crops. Organic animal products contain more beneficial polyunsaturated fatty acids; the nitrate content in organic fruits and vegetables was 20–50% of that in normal fruits. No pesticide residues and less heavy metals were found in the organic products. Our investigation showed that there were obvious differences in quality and safety between the products that originated from organic agriculture systems and conventional alternatives. This conclusion can provide an important theoretical basis for the healthy development of the organic industry.