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Comparisons of the Nutritional Characteristics of Organic and Conventionally Grown Foods
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- Social Science
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- Canadian Organic Research Priorities
Practical Resources
- Analysis of Regulatory Framework affecting Sensory Properties of Organic Products
- Organic Eprints. 2009
- Organic Eprints. 2009
- Do Organic Fruits and Vegetables Taste Better than Conventional Fruits and Vegetables? [PDF - 1.1 MB]
- The Organic Center. 2006
- Effects of production methods [PDF - 306 kB]
- Quality Low Input Food. 2009
- New Evidence Confirms the Nutritional Superiority of Plant-Based Organic Foods [PDF - 19.5 MB]
- The Organic Center. 2008
- Nutrient Density Comparison Between Organic and Conventionally Grown Oats
- Rodale Institute. 2016
- Qualitative and Nutritional Differences Between Organic and Conventionally Produced Processing Tomatoes [PDF - 211 kB]
- The Organic Center. 2006
- Quality of Organic vs. Conventional Food and Effects on Health
- Organic Eprints. 2011
- Summary report on sensory-related socio-economic and sensory science literature about organic food products
- Organic Eprints. 2009
Scientific Results
Overarching reviews and health studies
- Are Organic Foods Safer or Healthier Than Conventional Alternatives? A Systematic Review
- Annals of Internal Medicine (2012) 157: 348-366
- Comparison between conventional and organic agriculture in terms of nutritional quality of food - a critical review
- Organic Eprints. 2014
- Comparative study of total phenolic content and radical scavenging activity of conventionally and organically grown herbs
- Organic Eprints. 2014
- Organic Eprints. 2014
- Effect of Chronic Treatment with Conventional and Organic Purple Grape Juices (Vitis labrusca) on Rats Fed with High-Fat Diet
- Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology (2013) 33: 1123-1133
- Effect of Crop Protection and Fertilization Regimes Used in Organic and Conventional Production Systems on Feed Composition and Physiological Parameters in Rats
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2013) 61: 1017-1029
- Estimating Pesticide Exposure from Dietary Intake and Organic Food Choices: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)
- Environmental Health Perspectives (2015)
- Evaluation of the Micronutrient Composition of Plant Foods Produced by Organic and Conventional Agricultural Methods
- Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition (2011) 51: 571-582
- Feeding trials in organic food quality and health research
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2010) 90: 175-182
- Health biomarkers in a rat model after intake of organically grown carrots
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2012) 92: 2936-2943
- Health and immune responses in a rat model after intake of organically or conventionally grown foods
- Organic Eprints. 2012
- Higher antioxidant and lower cadmium concentrations and lower incidence of pesticide residues in organically grown crops: a systematic literature review and meta-analyses
- British Journal of Nutrition (2014) 112: 794-811
- Impact of organic and conventional carrots on intestinal and peripheral immunity
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2012) 92: 2913-2922
- The influence of organic production on food quality – research findings, gaps and future challenges
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2014) 94: 2600-2604
- Nutritional quality and safety of organic food. A review
- Agronomy for Sustainable Development (2010) 30: 33-41
- Nutritional quality of organic foods: a systematic review
- American Journal for Clinical Nutrition (2009) 90: 680-685
- Organic food and health – status and future perspectives
- Organic Eprints. 2005
- Organic food: nutritious food or food for thought? A review of the evidence
- International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition (2003) 54: 357-371
- Organically Grown Food Provides Health Benefits to Drosophila melanogaster
- PLoS ONE (2013) 8(1): e52988
- Review on the main differences between organic and conventional plant-based foods
- International Journal of Food Science and Technology (2011) 46: 1-13
Fruits and vegetables
- Antioxidant activity, total phenolic compounds and flavonoids of mangoes coming from biodynamic, organic and conventional cultivations in three maturation stages
- British Food Journal (2011) 113: 1103-1113
- Beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) and naturally fermented beetroot juices from organic and conventional production: metabolomics, antioxidant levels and anticancer activity
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2014) 94: 2618-2629
- Characterisation of antioxidant compounds in sweet bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) under organic and conventional growing systems
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2012) 92: 2409-2415
- Comparison of mineral and trace element contents between organically and conventionally grown fruit
- Fruits (2015) 70: 29-36
- Comparison of the total phenolic and ascorbic acid content of freeze-dried and air-dried marionberry, strawberry and corn grown using conventional, organic and sustainable agricultural practices
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2003) 51: 1237-1241
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2003) 51: 1237-1241
- Comparative Analysis of Antioxidant Properties and Fruit Quality Attributes of Organically and Conventionally Grown Melons (Cucumis melo L.)
- HortScience (2009) 44: 1825-1832
- Content and bioaccessibility of carotenoids from organic and non-organic baby foods
- Journal of Food Composition and Analysis (2010) 4: 346-352
- Conventional, organic and biodynamic farming: differences in polyphenol content and antioxidant activity of Batavia lettuce
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2012) 92: 551-556
- Cultivar and Year Rather than Agricultural Practices Affect Primary and Secondary Metabolites in Apple Fruit
- PLoS ONE (2015) 10(11): e0141916
- Does Organic Production Enhance Phytochemical Content of Fruit and Vegetables? Current Knowledge and Prospects for Research
- HortTechnology (2006) 16:449-456
- Does Organic Wine Taste Better? An Analysis of Experts' Ratings
- Journal of Wine Economics (2016) 11: 329-354
- Eating Quality of Carrots (Daucus carota L.) Grown in One Conventional and Three Organic Cropping Systems over Three Years
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2015) 63: 9803-8911
- Effect of Organic and Conventional Cropping Systems on Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin C, Flavonoids, Nitrate, and Oxalate in 27 Varieties of Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.)
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2012) 60: 3144-3150
- Effect of Organic and Conventional Management on Bio-Functional Quality of Thirteen Plum Cultivars (Prunus salicina Lindl.)
- PLoS ONE (2015) 10(8): e0136596
- Effect of organic production and fertilizer variables on the sensory properties of pac choi (Brassica rapa var. Mei Qing Choi) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum var. Bush Celebrity)
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2010) 90: 981-988
- Effect of thermal treatments on phytochemicals in conventionally and organically grown berries
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2010) 90:769-778
- Effects of conventional and organic fertilization on spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) growth, yield, vitamin C and nitrate concentration during two successive seasons
- Scientia Horticulturae (2010) 126: 415-420
- The effects of ethylene treatment on the bioactivity of conventional and organic growing ‘Hayward’ kiwi fruit
- Scientia Horticulturae (2013) 164: 589-595
- Effects of organic and conventional growth systems on the content of carotenoids in carrot roots, and on intake and plasma status of carotenoids in humans
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2011) 91: 767-775
- Effects of Organic and Conventional Growth Systems on the Content of Flavonoids in Onions and Phenolic Acids in Carrots and Potatoes
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2010) 58: 10323-10329
- Effects of organic and conventional production systems on the content of bioactive substances in four species of medicinal plants
- Biological Agriculture & Horticulture (2015) 31: 91-107
- Effects of organic farming and genotype on alimentary and nutraceutical parameters in tomato fruits
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2012) 92: 2833-2839
- Evaluation of a Method To Characterize the Phenolic Profile of Organic and Conventional Tomatoes
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2012) 60: 3373-3380
- Fruit and Soil Quality of Organic and Conventional Strawberry Agroecosystems
- PLoS ONE (2010) 5(9): e12346
- How to understand the complexity of product quality and the challenges in differentiating between organically and conventionally grown products—exemplified by fresh and heat-processed carrots (Daucus carota L.)
- Organic Agriculture (2016) 6: 31-47
- Influence of biologically enhanced organic production on antioxidant and sensory qualities of (Malus x domestica Borkh. cv Braeburn) apples
- Organic Agriculture (2012) 2: 117-126
- The influence of organic and conventional cultivation systems on the nutritional value and content of bioactive compounds in selected tomato types
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2012) 92: 2840-2848
- The influence of organic/integrated production on the content of phenolic compounds in apple leaves and fruits in four different varieties over a 2-year period
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2010) 90: 2366-2378
- Is there any difference between the phenolic content of organic and conventional tomato juices?
- Food Chemistry (2011) 130: 222-227
- A long-term comparison of the influence of organic and conventional crop management practices on the content of the glycoalkaloid α-tomatine in tomatoes
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2013) 93: 1537-1542
- The mineral profile in organically and conventionally grown “early” crop potato tubers
- Scientia Horticulturae (2014) 167: 169-173
- No effect of the farming system (organic/conventional) on the bioavailability of apple (Malus domestica Bork., cultivar Golden Delicious) polyphenols in healthy men: a comparative study
- European Journal of Nutrition (2010) 49: 301-310
- Nontargeted Metabolite Profiles and Sensory Properties of Strawberry Cultivars Grown both Organically and Conventionally
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2015) 63: 1010-1019
- Organic versus conventional – a comparative study on quality and nutritional value of fruit and vegetable juices
- Biological Agriculture & Horticulture (2011) 27: 310-319
- Postharvest quality and composition of organically and conventionally produced fruits: A review
- Scientia Horticulturae (2017) 216: 148-159
- Proteomic changes and endophytic micromycota during storage of organically and conventionally grown carrots
- Postharvest Biology and Technology (2013) 76: 23-33
- Physical characteristics and mineral composition of two pepper cultivars under organic, conventional and soilless cultivation
- Scientia Horticulturae (2013) 150: 259-266
- Quality and nutritional value of vegetables from organic and conventional farming
- Scientia Horticulturae (2013) 164: 532-539
- Quality of Organic and Conventional Greenhouse Cucumbers and Tomatoes
- Acta Horticulturae (2011) 893: 1209-1214
- Quality parameters and antioxidant properties in organic and conventionally grown broccoli after pre-storage hot water treatment
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2013) 93: 1140-1146
- Quantitative proteomics by 2DE and MALDI MS/MS uncover the effects of organic and conventional cropping methods on vegetable products
- Journal of Proteomics (2011) 74: 2810-2825
- The Seasonal Variation in Bioactive Compounds Content in Juice from Organic and Non-organic Tomatoes
- Plant Foods for Human Nutrition (2013) 68:171–176
- A Survey of Nitrate and Nitrite Concentrations in Conventional and Organic-Labeled Raw Vegetables at Retail
- Journal of Food Science (2015) 80: C942-C949
- Ten-Year Comparison of the Influence of Organic and Conventional Crop Management Practices on the Content of Flavonoids in Tomatoes
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2007) 55: 6154-6159
- Three-Year Comparison of the Polyphenol Contents and Antioxidant Capacities in Organically and Conventionally Produced Apples (Malus domestica Bork. Cultivar `Golden Delicious')
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2009) 57: 4598-4605
- Variation in bioactive content in broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) grown under conventional and organic production systems
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2015) 95: 1163-1171
Grains
- Birds select conventional over organic wheat when given free choice
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2010) 90: 1861-1869
- A comparison of the nutritional quality of organic and conventional ready-to-eat breakfast cereals based on NuVal scores
- Public Health Nutrition (2014) 17: 1454-1458
- Compositional differences in soybeans on the market: Glyphosate accumulates in Roundup Ready GM soybeans
- Food Chemistry (2014) 153: 207-215
- Effects of organic and conventional production systems and cultivars on the technological properties of winter wheat
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2012) 92: 2811-2818
- The influence of organic and conventional crop management, variety and year on the yield and flavonoid level in common buckwheat groats
- Food Chemistry (2011) 127: 602-608
- Influence of the Production Method on Phytochemical Concentrations in Whole Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.): A Comparative Study
- Organic Eprints. 2014
- Organic Wheat Farming Improves Grain Zinc Concentration
- PLoS ONE (2016) 11(8): e0160729
- Phenolic acid concentrations in organically and conventionally cultivated spring and winter wheat
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2011) 91: 1089-1095
- Phenolic antioxidant-linked anti-hyperglycemic properties of rye cultivars grown under conventional and organic production systems
- Journal of Cereal Science (2017) 76: 108-115
- Sensory profiles of bread made from paired samples of organic and conventionally grown wheat grain
- Journal of Food Science (2007) 72: S254-S260
- The soil microbial community and grain micronutrient concentration of historical and modern hard red spring wheat cultivars grown organically and conventionally in the black soil zone of the Canadian Prairies
- Sustainability (2011) 3: 500-517
- Spring wheat genotypes differentially alter soil microbial communities and wheat breadmaking quality in organic and conventional systems
- Canadian Journal of Plant Science (2011) 91: 485-495
Dairy
- Comparison of nutritional quality between conventional and organic dairy products: a meta-analysis
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2012) 92: 2774-2781
- Differences in sheep and goats milk fatty acid profile between conventional and organic farming systems
- Journal of Dairy Research (2010) 77: 343-249
- Effect of short-term versus long-term grassland management and seasonal variation in organic and conventional dairy farming on the composition of bulk tank milk
- Journal of Dairy Science (2013) 96: 5793-5810
- Fat composition of organic and conventional retail milk in northeast England
- Journal of Dairy Science (2011) 94: 24-36
- Fatty acid and fat-soluble antioxidant concentrations in milk from high-and low-input conventional and organic systems: seasonal variation
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2008) 88: 1431-1441
- Fatty acid content, vitamins and selenium in bulk tank milk from organic and conventional Swedish dairy herds during the indoor season
- Journal of Dairy Research (2011) 78: 287-292
- Fatty acid profile differs between organic and conventionally produced cow milk independent of season or milking time
- Journal of Dairy Science (2015) 98: 1411-1425
- Fatty acid profiles and antioxidants of organic and conventional milk from low- and high-input systems during outdoor period
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2015) 95: 529-539
- High Concentrations of Furan Fatty Acids in Organic Butter Samples from the German Market
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2014) 62: 8740-8744
- Milk phospholipids: Organic milk and milk rich in conjugated linoleic acid compared with conventional milk
- Journal of Dairy Science (2015) 98: 9-14
- Organic and conventionally produced milk—An evaluation of factors influencing milk composition
- Journal of Dairy Science (2015) 98: 721-746
- Organic Production Enhances Milk Nutritional Quality by Shifting Fatty Acid Composition: A United States–Wide, 18-Month Study
- PLoS ONE (2013) 8(12): e82429
- Survey of the fatty acid composition of retail milk differing in label claims based on production management practices
- Journal of Dairy Science (2010) 93: 1918-1925
Livestock
- Comparison of fatty acids in beef tissues from conventional, organic and natural feeding systems in western Canada
- Canadian Journal of Animal Science (2015) 95: 49-58
- Comparison of meat and carcass quality in organically reared and conventionally reared pasture-fed lambs
- animal (2011) 5: 2001-2009
- Comparison of the Sensory Characteristics of Suckling Lamb Meat: Organic vs Conventional Production
- Czech Journal of Food Science (2009) 27: 267-270
- Sensory profiles of breast meat from broilers reared in an organic niche production system and conventional standard broilers
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2012) 92: 258-265
- Survey of Residual Nitrite and Nitrate in Conventional and Organic/Natural/Uncured/Indirectly Cured Meats Available at Retail in the United States
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2012) 60: 3981-3990
Distinguishing organic and conventional products
- Analytical authentication of organic products: an overview of markers
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2013) 93: 12-28
- Characterization of Conventional, Biodynamic, and Organic Purple Grape Juices by Chemical Markers, Antioxidant Capacity, and Instrumental Taste Profile
- Journal of Food Science (2015) 80: C55-C65
- Comparative Transcriptome Profiling in Winter Wheat Grown under Different Agricultural Practices
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2012) 60: 10970-10978
- Compound-Specific δ15N and δ13C Analyses of Amino Acids for Potential Discrimination between Organically and Conventionally Grown Wheat
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2015) 63: 5841-5850
- Differentiating Organically and Conventionally Grown Oregano Using Ultraperformance Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry, Headspace Gas Chromatography with Flame Ionization Detection, and Flow Injection Mass Spectrum Fingerprints Combined with Multivariate Data Analysis
- Journal of Food and Agricultural Chemistry (2014) 62: 8075-8084
- Differentiating Organic and Conventional Sage by Chromatographic and Mass Spectrometry Flow Injection Fingerprints Combined with Principal Component Analysis
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2013) 61: 2957-2963
- Differentiating Organic from Conventional Peppermints Using Chromatographic and Flow Injection Mass Spectrometric (FIMS) Fingerprints
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2012) 60: 11987-11994
- Differentiation of Organically and Conventionally Grown Tomatoes by Chemometric Analysis of Combined Data from Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Mid-infrared Spectroscopy and Stable Isotope Analysis
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2015) 63: 9666-9675
- Differentiation of organic and non-organic winter wheat cultivars from a controlled field trial by crystallization patterns
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2015) 95: 53-58
- Discrimination of conventional and organic white cabbage from a long-term field trial study using untargeted LC-MS-based metabolomics
- Organic Eprints. 2014
- 1H NMR Profiling as an Approach To Differentiate Conventionally and Organically Grown Tomatoes
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2014) 62: 8530-8540
- Integrated mass spectrometric and multivariate data analysis approaches for the discrimination of organic and conventional strawberry (Fragaria ananassa Duch.) crops
- Food Research International (2015) 77: 264-272
- Metabolite profiling on wheat grain to enable a distinction of samples from organic and conventional farming systems
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2014) 94: 2605-2612
- Metabolomic fingerprinting employing DART-TOFMS for authentication of tomatoes and pebbers from organic and conventional farming
- Food Additives & Contaminants (2012) 29: 1335-1346
- NMR-Based Metabolomics for Organic Farming Traceability of Early Potatoes
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2013) 61: 11201-11211
- Potential of NIR spectroscopy for predicting internal quality and discriminating among strawberry fruits from different production systems
- Postharvest Biology and Technology (2017) 125: 112-121
- Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes as a potential tool to differentiate pork from organic and conventional systems
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2016) 96: 3950-3955
- Stable isotope analysis of plant-derived nitrate – Novel method for discrimination between organically and conventionally grown vegetables
- Organic Eprints. 2014
- Status quo and future research challenges on organic food quality determination with focus on laboratory methods
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2014) 94: 2595-2599
- The use of infrared spectrometers to predict quality parameters of cornmeal (corn grits) and differentiate between organic and conventional practices
- Journal of Cereal Science (2015) 62: 22-30