Forwarding from SANET -- more on phytochemicals
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Yes, it is good to see results published,
which seem intuitive in the first place.
Polyphenolics, mentioned in the press release,
are part of a large class of compounds
known as phytochemicals.
There is a very interesting paper that reviews
these compounds in the following journal article.
Dillard, Cora J. and J. Bruce German. 2000.
Phytochemicals: Nutraceuticals and human health.
J. of Science of Food & Agric. Vol. 80: 1744-1756.
It was in this paper, or another, where I gathered these
numbers:
50,000 compounds in plants
5,000 – 10,000 compounds & metabolites in plant foods
For example:
Phenolics
____Flavonoids, catechins & gallic acids, isoflavonoids, anthocyanins
Terpenoids
___Tocotrienols and tocopherols, carotenoids, limonids, phytosterols
Alkaloids
___Glucosinolates, indoles
Foods have a vast and complex composition.
Intuitively, it seems natural to see a relationship
between food composition of greater complexity
and beneficial characteristics from a holistic farming
system, in comparison to conventional agriculture
based on inputs of NPK and pesticides.
Here is the paper from Alyson Mitchell et al,
as quoted in the press release:
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
Danny K. Asami, Yun-Jeong Hong, Diane M. Barrett, and
Alyson E. Mitchell
J. Agric. Food Chem.; 2003; 51(5) pp 1237 - 1241
http://pubs3.acs.org/acs/journals/doilookup?in_doi=10.1021/jf020635c
Abstract:
Secondary phenolic metabolites play an important role in plant
defense mechanisms, and increasing evidence indicates that
many are important in human health. To date, few studies have
investigated the impact of various agricultural practices on levels
of secondary plant metabolites. To address this issue, the total
phenolic (TP) content of marionberries, strawberries, and
corn grown by sustainable, organic, or conventional cultural
practices were measured. Additionally, the effects of three
common postharvest processing treatments (freezing,
freeze-drying, and air-drying) on the TP content of these
agricultural products were also investigated. Statistically
higher levels of TPs were consistently found in organically
and sustainably grown foods as compared to those produced
by conventional agricultural practices. In all samples,
freeze-drying preserved higher levels of TPs in comparison
with air-drying.
Keywords: Phenolics; ascorbic acid; sustainable agriculture;
organic agriculture; conventional agriculture; strawberry;
corn; marionberry
In the conclusions you learn that sustainably-grown
food products had higher total phenolic content than
organic, and both were higher than conventional.
Regards,
Steve Diver
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> an interesting report (below)
> comments?
> David
> ===============
>
> Date: 3/10/2003 10:58:42 PM EST
> Reply-to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Report
> confirms benefits of organic food
> Washington - Organically grown crops contain more
> healthy compounds than conventional crops, perhaps because they are
> not
> exposed to pesticides, American researchers reported on Friday. Tests
> on
> organically and sustainably grown berries and corn showed they contain
>
> up to 58 percent more polyphenolics, compounds that act as
> antioxidants and
> may protect cells against damage that can lead to heart disease and
> cancer.
>
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