Quality Enhancement of Fruits and Vegetables through Organic Cultivation: A Review

Abstract

Organic farming, which essentially excludes the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, is becoming popular worldwide. The covid-19 pandemic has positively impacted on the market due to growing awareness towards the healthy and nutritional diets. As a result, demand for organic fruits and vegetables has increased over the world. Organic fruits and vegetables are in higher demand than ever before, owing to lower production and rising global consumption. However, due to the high cost of production, organic fruit and vegetable supply is limited in comparison to demand. Several experiments were conducted for comparing the organic and conventional fruits and vegetables quality. The results obtained from the studies showed Vitamins like ascorbic acid and beta carotene, Total polyphenols, dry matter accumulation, fiber content and Total Soluble Solids were higher in organic fruits and vegetables than conventional farming. Other mineral nutrient contents like Ca, Mg, K, Cu, Fe, Zn, PO4, SO4 were found similar both in organic and conventional farm produce. Cooking of organic vegetables at high temperatures is not preferable because it shows higher polyphenols losses during cooking than conventional produces. Heavy metals contamination, pesticide residues, ammonium and nitrate contents were lower in organic produce than conventional crops. Organic foods are better for the environment and more nutritious. It can be concluded that organic crops have a lower amount of contaminants, but a higher quality compared to conventional crops.