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livingontheland - [Livingontheland] BioOrganics Inc, Newsletter - June, 2006

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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] BioOrganics Inc, Newsletter - June, 2006
  • Date: Wed, 07 Jun 2006 07:57:45 -0600

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Modern Fruits and Vegetables - Are Good Looks Good Enough?
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I see that a study of 43 different crops found that many of today's fruits
and vegetables do not have the same nutritional content as 50 years ago. For
those of us who grow our own, the flavor gap between supermarket produce and
that from our garden seems to have widened, especially when comparing
heirloom varieties to the latest "improved" hybrids. However, the decline in
nutrient content is also something worth noting.

Researchers led by Dr. Donald Davis, a bio-chemistry professor at the
University of Texas at Austin, compared chemical analyses by the USDA from
1950 and 1999 to see how nutrient contents may have changed. They found that
average levels of protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin, and vitamin
C had all dropped anywhere from 6% (for protein) to 38% (riboflavin).

There may well be other drops as well, but the comparisons were limited to
the nutrients reported in 1950, so the researchers could not gauge changes in
such things as magnesium, zinc, vitamins B & E, fiber content, nor important
phytochemicals discovered more recently. My guess is that these would also
be reduced.

The researchers feel that the most likely explanation for the decline in
nutrients was changes in varieties stemming from intensive efforts to breed
new varieties for greater yields, increased resistance to pests, or
adaptability to different climates - with pursuit of higher yields being
dominant. Other contributing factors might be yield-enhancing strategies such
as more irrigation and heavier fertilizing. This has all led to modern crops
growing larger and faster, but apparently with less nutrient value - an
unintended consequence.

A related thought is my memory of a USDA research scientist telling me that
his organization had only just recently hired a specialist to study crop
flavors. I think his exact words were, "It has never been much of an issue
to us." This was surprising to me, as I had always assumed that the flavor
of a food item would be a routine and important part of selecting new
varieties.

Now I'm obviously biased on this topic, but I'd be willing to bet that the
decimation of biological microorganisms and depletion of trace minerals in
conventional crop soils also have a lot to do with both the declines in
flavor and nutrient value. I doubt that vegetables that are fed incomplete
NPK fertilizer in lifeless soil have as much chance of ending up tasty and
nutritious.

Yes, I know - I'm being preachy about big-picture issues again, and why
bother? Well, I could be wrong, but I think the mindset of growing only for
appearance and bigger yields can be changed. If horticultural researchers
really put their minds to it and began regarding flavors as being more than a
side issue, I'm sure they could develop high-yielding varieties that taste
better and pack more nutrients. Of course, first they must want to.

I suspect that superior flavor and superior nutrients are linked, so informed
consumers can push the researchers by simply choosing the tastiest produce
available. As a model, I would point to the success of the Fuji and Gala
apples in knocking down sales of the old Red Delicious variety, a tragic
example of an originally-tasty fruit ruined by "improvements."
Unfortunately, I see that the Fuji is now being made more red, and, at least
to my taste buds, is becoming less flavorful. (Sigh)

Hey, pay a little more for organically-grown stuff and give those misshapen
yellow tomatoes a try next time - it could benefit all of us down the road
some day!

Cheers,

Don Chapman
President
BioOrganics, Inc.
______________________

BioOrganics Inc. News
6/6/2006
______________________

Past BioOrganics newsletters are available by clicking on the link
"Newsletters Archive" at:
http://www.bio-organics.com
______________________

If you would like to contribute your thoughts to the topics covered in this
or earlier newsletters, please send an email to comments@bio-organics.com
Additional thoughts, criticisms, opinions and personal experiences with
biological methods are all welcome. Interesting feedback comments may become
a regular feature in our future newsletters.
______________________

BioOrganics, Inc. Endomycorrhizal Inoculant (BEI) is listed by the Organic
Materials Review Institute (OMRI) for use in production of organic food and
fiber.





  • [Livingontheland] BioOrganics Inc, Newsletter - June, 2006, Tradingpost, 06/07/2006

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