Conventional Fruit Research Articles

Survival of outbreak, food, and environmental strains of Listeria monocytogenes on whole apples as affected by cultivar and wax coating

The 2014–2015 U.S. nationwide outbreak of listeriosis linked to apples used in commercially produced, prepackaged caramel apples was the first implication of whole apples in outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. Two case patients of this outbreak didn’t consume caramel apples but did eat whole apples, suggesting that contaminated whole apple may serve as a vehicle for foodborne listeriosis. The current study evaluated the effect of conventional fruit coating with wax and that of apple cultivar on the survival of outbreak-associated and non-outbreak Listeria monocytogenes strains on Red Delicious, Granny Smith and Fuji apples during 160 days under simulated commercial storage. L. monocytogenes survived in calyxes and stem ends of apples of all 3 cultivars through the duration of the experiment. After 2 months of storage, significantly (p < 0.05) larger L. monocytogenes populations were recovered from apples coated with wax than those un-waxed, regardless of the cultivar. No differences in survival amongst L. monocytogenes strains (serotypes 1/2a and 4b) from clinical, food, and environmental sources were observed. The observation that coating with wax facilitates prolonged survival of L. monocytogenes on whole apples is novel and reveals gaps in understanding of microbiological risks associated with postharvest practices of tree fruit production.

The effects of organic and conventional farm management and harvest time on the polyphenol content in different raspberry cultivars

Raspberry fruits are a perfect source of polyphenols, including flavonols, anthocyanins. Some experiments have indicated that organic fruits contain more bioactive compounds than conventional fruits. The aim of this study was therefore to analyse and compare the concentration of bioactive compounds in organic vs. conventional raspberries and to determine the effects of harvest time and cultivar. Three cultivars of raspberry (‘Laszka’, ‘Glen Ample’ and ‘Glen Fine’) that were harvested in summer and one ‘Polka’ cv. that was harvested in autumn time from organic and conventional cultivation methods were used in the experiment. The contents of dry matter and polyphenols in the fruits were determined. The organic samples contained significantly more dry matter, phenolic acid and flavonoids, including myrycetin, quercetin, luteolin and quercetin-3-O-rutinoside. Harvest time was an important factor in raspberry fruit quality.

Qualitative and nutritional comparison of goji berry fruits produced in organic and conventional systems

Goji berries are fruits widely cultivated in Asian countries and have been consumed all over the world due to the high content of nutrients. In this paper, nutrient composition including moisture, ash, minerals (including heavy metals), proteins, lipids (including fatty acids), available carbohydrates (including soluble sugars), organic acids and dietary fiber were determined in organic and conventionally cultivated goji fruits. Physicochemical properties, total titratable acidity, pH, soluble solids, water activity and color were also investigated. Goji berries presented higher contents of available total sugars (67.85 and 75.05%), dietary fiber and essential minerals (Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn). Fructose was the main soluble sugar identified in organic and conventional fruits (5.45 and 4.92 g/100 g, respectively), followed by glucose and sucrose. Conventional fruits presented Hg and Pb contents above the established limits by the Codex Alimentarius. The linoleic acid was the main fatty acid identified in organic (54.68%) and conventional (37.06%) goji berry. Fructose was the main soluble sugar identified in organic and conventional fruits (5.45 and 4.92 g/100 g, respectively), followed by glucose and sucrose. Citric acid was identified as the main organic acid present in organic and conventional goji berries (0.90 and 1.14 g/100 g, respectively). The parameters, total titratable acidity, pH, soluble solids and water activity were considered as sensorial desirable in both samples. The color parameters indicated the red-orange coloration as predominant in the samples. These results demonstrate that goji fruits present high nutritional and sensory potential as ingredients in the formulation of foods, cosmetics and medicines. However, goji fruits grown in organic systems are better alternatives to ensure the food safety of industrialized products due to its lower content on heavy metals (Cd, Hg and Pb).

Effect of a 24-week randomized trial of an organic produce intervention on pyrethroid and organophosphate pesticide exposure among pregnant women

BackgroundIntroduction of an organic diet can significantly reduce exposure to some classes of pesticides in children and adults, but no long-term trials have been conducted. ObjectivesTo assess the effect of a long-term (24-week) organic produce intervention on pesticide exposure among pregnant women. MethodsWe recruited 20 women from the Idaho Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program during their first trimester of pregnancy. Eligible women were nonsmokers aged 18–35 years who reported eating exclusively conventionally grown food. We randomly assigned participants to receive weekly deliveries of either organic or conventional fruits and vegetables throughout their second or third trimesters and collected weekly spot urine samples. Urine samples, which were pooled to represent monthly exposures, were analyzed for biomarkers of organophosphate (OP) and pyrethroid insecticides. ResultsFood diary data demonstrated that 66% of all servings of fruits and vegetables consumed by participants in the “organic produce” group were organic, compared to <3% in the “conventional produce” group. We collected an average of 23 spot samples per participant (461 samples total), which were combined to yield 116 monthly composites. 3-Phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA, a non-specific biomarker of several pyrethroids) was detected in 75% of the composite samples, and 3-PBA concentrations were significantly higher in samples collected from women in the conventional produce group compared to the organic produce group (0.95 vs 0.27 μg/L, p = 0.03). Another pyrethroid biomarker, trans-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylic acid, was detected more frequently in women in the conventional compared to the organic produce groups (16% vs 4%, p = 0.05). In contrast, we observed no statistically significant differences in detection frequency or concentrations for any of the four biomarkers of OP exposure quantified in this trial. DiscussionTo our knowledge, this is the first long-term organic diet intervention study, and the first to include pregnant women. These results suggest that addition of organic produce to an individual's diet, as compared to conventional produce, significantly reduces exposure to pyrethroid insecticides.

The effect of organic and conventional fruit cultivation system on mineral composition and sensory properties of cloudy apple juice

The aim was to determine the differences in mineral composition and sensory properties of cloudy apple juice depending on apple cultivation system. Three indigenous Estonian cultivars were chosen on condition that the same cultivars would be grown in organic and conventional orchards at the same geographical location. ’Krameri tuvioun’ and ’Talvenauding’ apples were harvested from old (over 30 years) low maintenance orchard and ‘Krista’ apples from 10-years old experimental orchard. 100 kg of apples per cultivar and cultivation system were stored at +3±2°C for two months and then pressed into juice using Lancman waterpress. Total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA) and content of P, K, Ca and Mg were determined from apples and from juice. Descriptive sensory analysis of apple juice was carried out by a trained sensory panel. ’Krameri tuvioun’ and ’Talvenauding’ apples and respective juices from old organic orchard had significantly higher content of P, K and Mg compared to the conventional counterparts. Mineral composition of ’Krista’ apples from younger well- maintained organic orchard and respective juice was not significantly different from conventional ones except for P concentration, which was higher compared to conventional apples. Organic apples from old orchard had higher TSS compared to conventional ones, but this difference was no more significant in juice. Sensory properties of juices were most of all affected by cultivar: ‘Krameri tuvioun’ juice was sweeter and less sour compared to ‘Talvenauding’ and ‘Krista’. Cultivation system did not affect the sweetness, sourness as well as fresh- and apple flavour. Our results indicate that even though the old organic apple orchards do not produce high quality apples for fresh consumption, cloudy apple juice made from those apples is better source of valuable mineral elements for humans than apple juice pressed from conventional or well-maintained organic orchards.

Children’s organic fruit nectar satisfaction: an experimental economics approach

PurposeOver the past several decades, studies regarding consumer satisfaction for organic food (OF) have increased along with the rise in OF consumption. However, empirical research into satisfaction for organic products with respect to conventional goods is still needed. Along this line, the purpose of this paper is to understand the role of information in children’s satisfaction for organic and conventional fruit nectar.Design/methodology/approachA satisfaction questionnaire on 92 primary school pupils was collected during the tasting stages. A questionnaire surveying the participants’ habits with respect to OF and fruit nectar consumption was also administered. Descriptive analysis and ordinal logistic regressions were used to investigate any correlation between the participants’ evaluations of fruit nectar samples and the other variables investigated.FindingsAccording to the results of this paper, children’s satisfaction scores are influenced by the information they learn regarding fruit nectar: satisfaction scores are higher when children know the fruit nectar is organic. Satisfaction is also influenced by age: older children are more likely to assign lower scores to fruit nectars. Also, the effect of information regarding the nature of fruit nectar (organic or conventional) on satisfaction scores is stronger in children whose families consume OF.Research limitations/implicationsDue to financial constraints, this research was conducted on a non-probability convenience sample and on a single food product (i.e. fruit nectar).Practical implicationsRegulatory policies should consider these influences when legislating on product labelling and the disclosure of product information. Consumer evaluations can be indeed influenced toward responsible, safe behaviour.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the investigation of the connection between product labelling and children’s food satisfaction. Particularly, this study has generated some important findings in the field of children’s perceptions of OF.

Multi-Task Cascaded Convolutional Networks Based Intelligent Fruit Detection for Designing Automated Robot

Effective and efficient fruit detection is considered crucial for designing automated robot (AuRo) for yield estimation, disease control, harvesting, sorting, and grading. Several fruit detection schemes for designing AuRo have been developed during the last decades. However, conventional fruit detection methods are deficient in the real-time response, accuracy, and extensibility. This paper proposes an improved multi-task cascaded convolutional network-based intelligent fruit detection method. This method has the capability to make the AuRo work in real time with high accuracy. Moreover, based on the relationship between the diversity samples of the dataset and the parameters of neural networks’ evolution, this paper presents an improved augmented method, a procedure that is based on image fusion to improve the detector performance. The experiment results demonstrated that the proposed detector performed immaculately both in terms of accuracy and time–cost. Furthermore, the extensive experiment also demonstrated that the proposed technique has the capacity and good portability to work with other akin objects conveniently.

On higher nutritional and medical properties of a carotenoid-rich mutant pomelo (Citrus maxima (L.) Osbeck)

Red-fleshed pomelo (Citrus maxima (L.) Osbeck), a spontaneous bud mutant of Guanxi pomelo, attracts consumers because of its distinct flesh color, but the nutritional and medical properties as compared with its parental Guanxi pomelo are not known. This study analyzed and evaluated the conventional fruit quality indexes, composition and content of carotenoids, antioxidant activities, bile-acid-binding activity and potential anticancer effect of carotenoid-rich mutant pomelo and its parental Guanxi pomelo juice. The results showed that compared with Guanxi pomelo juice, red-fleshed pomelo juice contained more lycopene, β-carotene, soluble protein, and soluble solid, and exhibited stronger 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)-radical scavenging activity, reducing power activity and bile-acid-binding activity, as well as higher anti-proliferative activity in leukemia cells. Summarizing the results, it can be speculated that high amounts of lycopene and β-carotene in the red-fleshed pomelo fruits might contribute to its higher antioxidant, hypolipidemic and anticancer capacity. Therefore, red-fleshed pomelo juice are potential natural resources for multitargeted pharmacological and oncological therapies; however, further experimental and clinical studies are required to exploit its internal mechanisms.

1H NMR and Raman spectroscopy of oils and extracts obtained from organic and conventional goji berries: yield, fatty acids, carotenoids and biological activities

SummaryThe yields of extraction, fatty acid and carotenoid compositions, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of organic and conventional Lycium barbarum oils and extracts were investigated. Different methods were used in the extraction: Soxhlet, maceration and Bligh &amp; Dyer. Sample characterization was performed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance and Raman spectroscopy. Soxhlet presented a higher yield for organic (4.58%) and conventional (2.83%) fruit. The Goji samples showed a high content of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) for organic (78.29–84.72%) and conventional (70.74–80.20%) fruit. The main phytochemicals identified in the samples were linoleic acid and zeaxanthin dipalmitate. The maceration method was the most efficient in the extraction of carotenoids with high antioxidant (2.23–40.94 mmolTE 100 g−1) and antimicrobial (3.12–200 mg mL−1) activities. The organic goji samples showed higher yield, UFA, carotenoids and biological activities and these results indicate that this fruit is suitable for cosmetic, pharmaceutical and food applications.

Urinary pesticide concentrations in French adults with low and high organic food consumption: results from the general population-based NutriNet-Santé.

An organic diet may reduce dietary exposure to pesticides but findings based on observational data are scant. We aimed to compare urinary pesticide concentrations between "organic" and "conventional" consumers from the NutriNet-Santé study. Organic food consumption was determined using a self-reported food frequency questionnaire. Individuals with a proportion of organic food in the whole diet (in g/d) below 10% were defined as low organic food consumers and those whose proportion was above 50% as high organic food consumers. A propensity score matching procedure was then used to obtain two similar subsets of 150 participants, differing mostly by the organic valence of their diet. Urinary pesticide and metabolite concentrations (organophosphorus, pyrethroid, and azole compounds) were determined by UPLC-MS/MS, standardized with respect to creatinine. The molar sums of total diethylphosphates, dimethylphosphates, and dialkylphosphates were also computed. Differences in distributions across groups were tested using Wilcoxon signed-rank test for matched data. Mean age was 58.5 years and 70% of participants were women. Significantly lower urinary levels of diethylthiophosphate, dimethylthiophosphate, dialkylphosphates, and free 3-phenoxybenzoic acid were observed among organic consumers compared to conventional consumers. Our findings confirm that exposure to certain organophosphate and pyrethroïd pesticides in adults may be lowered by switching from conventional to organic foods. This is particularly of high interest among conventional fruit and vegetable consumers, as their exposure may be the highest.

Sensory Quality, Physicochemical Attributes, Polyphenol Profiles, and Residual Fungicides in Strawberries from Different Disease-Control Treatments.

Using alternative agricultural practices in combination with proper postharvest handling has become a major goal to improve fresh produce quality. Here, two different strawberry ( Fragaria × ananassa) genotypes were used as a model to study the impact of repeated, reduced-fungicide or no-fungicide applications on the sensory quality, physicochemical attributes, polyphenol profiles, and residual fungicide in strawberries. Strawberries grown under reduced-fungicide applications had similar or better physicochemical quality than conventionally and organically grown fruit and lower levels of fungicide residues than conventional fruit. Overall, flavor- and health-related attributes of strawberries from reduced-fungicide applications were intermediate between conventional and organic fruit. Thus, growing strawberries with reduced-fungicide applications can be an alternative to conventional or organic agricultural practices.

Physicochemical composition of Tamarindus indica L. (Tamarind) in the agro-ecological zones of Uganda.

The relationships between the physicochemical composition of Tamarindus indica pulp and seeds, and agro‐ecological zones and land use types were assessed in Uganda. The objective was to determine the relationship between the physicochemical composition, agro‐ecological zones, and land use types. The samples were processed by manually depulping the T. indica pods, sun‐drying the pulp and seeds, and grinding into powder. The powdered samples were analyzed for β‐carotenoids, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), calorific value, crude oil, acid, and peroxide values. Data were analyzed using ANOVA in the general linear model (GLM). Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to relate the physicochemical properties to the agro‐ecological zones and land use types. There were significant differences (p ≤ .05) in the physicochemical composition variables between agro‐ecological zones and land use types. Land use types showed strong correlations with physicochemical properties while agro‐ecological zones did not show correlations. The results show that in terms of general properties, T. indica pods provide a valuable, rich, and exceptional source of vitamin C, compared to many widely consumed indigenous and conventional fruits and vegetables. The pods from land use types characterized by natural habitats had relatively more nutrient levels than the land use types influenced by anthropogenic activities.

US Household Demand for Organic Fruit

We estimate US household monthly elasticities of demand for some of the more popular organic fruits. To our knowledge, this is the first US-wide, multi-year analysis of price and income elasticities for various organic fruits. We calculate elasticities of demand for low-income, middle class, and rich income bracket households using three estimation techniques: two econometric methods and one machine learning method (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO)). Demand estimates are based on Nielsen scanner data from approximately 60,000 households collected from 2011 to 2013. Generally, we find that own-price conditional and unconditional elasticities of demand for organic fruits are negative. Unconditional elasticity magnitudes tend to be largest in the representative middle-class household. Income elasticities of demand measurements are inconsistent and often statistically insignificant. This finding is consistent with the survey literature finding that many consumers buy organic food for mostly moral or ethical reasons. We run two policy experiments: a 10% subsidy of organic fruits, and a 10% tax on conventional fruits. Our hypothetical policies engender a stronger reaction among the general public than habitual buyers of organic fruit; unconditional purchase and expenditure elasticities are generally larger than conditional purchase and expenditure elasticities. Finally, we find that elasticities measured with the LASSO technique are not radically different than those measured with econometric methods. The most noticeable difference between the two analytical techniques is that LASSO is more likely to find price and income elasticities of demand that indistinguishable from zero, both substantively and statistically.

Effects of organic vs. conventional farming systems on quality and antioxidant metabolism of passion fruit during maturation

The objective of this study was to evaluate the changes in quality and antioxidant metabolism during ripening of passion fruits from organic and conventional production systems. Postharvest quality, variables of antioxidant metabolism (enzyme and non-enzymes), total antioxidant activity (TAA), lipid peroxidation degree as indicator of oxidative stress and the activity of phenolic-associated enzyme, phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) were evaluated in fruits harvested at developmental stages: breaker/turning yellow (physiologically mature) and completely yellow color (ripe). Results show that organic fruits were smaller, although with higher soluble solids content and a lower acidity. At breaker stage, PAL activity was 24% than higher in organic fruits than in conventional fruits, although, total phenolic content was higher in conventional fruits harvested at both breaker (36.14mg GAE 100g−1) and ripe (36.47mg GAE 100g−1) stages. Organic fruit showed a significantly greater lipid peroxidation degree of biological membranes, despite their also higher APX activity and vitamin C contents. Results suggest that organic cropping system induced an oxidative stress in passion fruit, negatively influencing fruit size, although inducing the antioxidant defense mechanism, through increments of vitamin C and antioxidant enzymes activity.

A long-term trial to determine variations in the yield and quality of a processing type pepper (Capsicum annuum L. cv. Yalova yağlık-28) in organic and conventional farming systems

This study was conducted to determine the long-term performance under two farming systems of Capia pepper, a summer vegetable in high demand, consumed fresh, as paste, dried, or roasted. The trial was conducted for 9 years on certified organic and conventional plots of Ege University, Izmir, Turkey. In both farming systems, pepper was the main summer crop, but the preceding crop varied between the farming systems and over the years. Certified organic seeds and seedlings of Yalova yaglik-28, an open pollinated variety, were used for Capia pepper production. Yields were statistically similar in the conventional (45,217 kg ha−1) and organic (43,645 kg ha−1) systems; however, significant yield variations occurred with respect to the annual conditions. The farming system significantly influenced fruit quality. The average fruit weight was 99.7 g in the conventional plots compared with 88.8 g in the organic. The fruit pericarp was thicker in the organic (5.1 mm) than in the conventionally grown ones (4.5 mm). The L-ascorbic acid content was (73.4 mg 100 g−1) higher in the conventional fruit, whereas the total soluble solids (7.7%) and red pulp color, determined by a chromameter, as a*/b* (2.0), were more pronounced in fruit from the organic plots. The long-term trial showed that organic management helped to improve the soil organic matter content and fruit quality, especially from the perspective of processing.

Changes in Polyphenols Contents and Antioxidant Capacities of Organically and Conventionally Cultivated Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Fruits during Ripening.

Polyphenols of fruits and vegetables form an important part of human dietary compounds. Relatively little is known about accumulation of phenolics during fruits ripening process. The goal of this work was to study the changes in antioxidant activity and in content of 30 polyphenols during ripening of tomato fruits. Five organically and conventionally grown tomato cultivars were investigated at three different ripening stages. Phenolic compounds were extracted with methanol and extracts were analyzed by HPLC-DAD-MS/MS. During ripening, four different changing patterns were observed: (1) high level in green fruits with minimal changes; (2) continuous increase with maximum level in red-ripe fruits; (3) decrease; (4) increase and achieving maximum level at half-ripe stage. Similar change patterns were found for organic and conventional fruits. The accumulation patterns of phenolic compounds were similar in standard-type tomatoes but differed in several cases in cherry-type cultivar. Although contents of some polyphenols decreased during ripening, total phenolics and free radical scavenging activity increased in all studied cultivars and in case of both cultivation modes. The changes in content of phenolic compounds during ripening were greatly influenced by cultivars, but cultivation mode had only minor impact on dynamics in polyphenols contents in tomato fruits.

The importance of traditional orchards for breeding birds: The preliminary study on Central European example

Orchards are parts of agriculture and apart from their economic role they may preserve biodiversity in highly transformed farmlands. An increasing intensity of orchards management is known to be threat for some species, especially pollinators and birds. On the other hand, the biodiversity of abandoned orchards was hardly investigated. Here, I present a survey of orchards in Poland to estimate how bird's diversities differ in response to the intensity of orchards management. In 2014, 66 orchards of three types – abandoned, extensively and intensively managed – were investigated. Bird species' richness and abundance were found to be highest in abandoned orchards but overall bird diversity and species composition in abandoned did not differ from these found in extensively managed orchards. In abandoned and extensively managed orchards, hollow-dwellers and insectivores (with some rare old-forest associated species) dominated, whereas in intensively managed orchards the most diverse were ground-dwellers. Among the several selected environmental features, the highest impact on bird diversity was related to the tree diversity, abundance of older trees, presence of multilayer understory and heterogeneous surrounding. The preliminary study point that traditional orchards could play a important role for wood-dwelling species in agriculture and because of that the removal or replacement of all traditional orchards by intensively managed orchards should be avoided and needs of orchard protection should be implemented into Agri-Environmental Schemes/High Nature Value farming systems and possibly also into habitat directive of EU. Unfortunately, the number of abandoned and extensively managed orchards is declining from agricultural landscapes, and traditional orchards are replaced by conventional fruit plantations.

A Preliminary Comparison of Antioxidants of Tomato Fruit Grown Under Organic and Conventional Systems

Organic farming is rapidly growing due to its perceived potential for producing higher nutritional quality. However, studies of organically- and conventionally-grown crops have not always shown differences between the systems. The objective of this research was to compare the antioxidant activities of organically-grown tomato to those from a conventional production system during postharvest cold storage. “Tub Tim Dang” tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) fruit were harvested at the breaker stage of maturity from both organic and conventional farms. Fruit were cold-stored at 10 °C for 20 days, and samples were collected at intervals to measure the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities, and total antioxidant activity by the 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. The activities of SOD, CAT and APX of organic tomato fruit did not differ from those of conventional fruit during cold storage. In addition, there was no effect of production system on FRAP activity. In contrast, DPPH activity of organic tomato fruit was lower than conventional fruit through 10 days of cold storage, but it was higher at 15 and 20 days. These results indicated that organic production did not have a significant effects on these antioxidant traits of tomato.

Efektywność ekologicznych gospodarstw sadowniczych w porównaniu do konwencjonalnych

Celem opracowania jest ocena efektywności gospodarowania zasobami produkcyjnymi w sadowniczych gospodarstwach ekologicznych na tle konwencjonalnych. Zaprezentowane w opracowaniu wyniki badanych gospodarstw wskazują na niższy poziom produktywności zasobów ziemi w gospodarstwach ekologicznych, co wynikało z mniejszej wydajności produkcji ekologicznej. Produktywność zasobów kapitałowych ukształtowała się na zbliżonym poziomie w obu grupach gospodarstw, ekonomiczna wydajność pracy była natomiast większa w gospodarstwach ekologicznych, ponieważ były one większe od konwencjonalnych. Gospodarstwa ekologiczne uzyskały wyższy poziom wyników ekonomicznych niż konwencjonalne, co warunkowały lepsze wyniki produkcyjne przy małych kosztach produkcji gospodarstw ekologicznych. Z tego powodu dochodowość zasobów ziemi, wydatkowanej pracy i zaangażowanego kapitału w procesy produkcyjne badanych gospodarstw sadowniczych była większa w gospodarstwach ekologicznych.

Low-Income Shoppers and Fruit and Vegetables

We surveyed 510 low-income shoppers to learn about their attitudes about organic and conventional fruits and vegetables (FV) and what would happen if we provided them with information about organic and conventional growing practices from a variety of sources. In general, participants preferred organic FV; however, cost was a significant barrier to purchase them. Informational statements about organic and conventional FV did not increase participants' likelihood to purchase more FV. In contrast, messages naming specific FV with pesticides shifted participants toward “less likely” to purchase any type of FV regardless whether organically or conventionally grown. The results provide insight about how low-income people view FV and how communications may influence their purchase intention.