Sanet folks -
As I follow the discussions on nutrient status of organic vs.
conventional foods (much discussion based on very little information!), I
feel that one very critical aspect is not being addressed - and maybe
that is because it has not been studied, though I find that hard to
believe.
I think that simply knowing the absolute quantity of chemical elements in
a food sample isn't particularly revealing if we don't know what
molecules those elements are part of in the food product.
- That is, are the higher levels of nitrogen (or calcium, magnesium,
sulfur etc) found in organic foods incorporated into proteins, enzymes,
sugars, characteristic flavor molecules like organic acids, esters, in
other secondary metabolites? How does this affect those important
characteristics that we humans detect as 'quality'.
- Does anyone have research correlations between soil chemistry with
plant biochemistry/physiology with food quality (flavor, storage,
nutrition)?
Do you know of researchers who might be able to contribute pieces to this
puzzle - what are the complex organic molecules that constitute
characteristic flavors or other quality components? Are higher levels of
these molecules generally synthesized in plants testing high overall in
certain chemical elements? What effect do soil conditions (chemical,
biological, physical) have on this synthesis?
Thanks for your collective input! Mary-Howell Martens
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