Organic Tomatoes are Better for You

The glorious season of vine-ripened tomatoes is a long way off for us, but the seeds will be planted within the next couple of weeks here at A Rocha! With our cool west-coast climate, we struggle to produce the mounds of high-quality tomatoes that grow so well in BC’s dry interior, or other hot spots in Canada, but it is gratifying to learn (what we knew instinctively already) – organic tomatoes are better for you, and the taste is incomparable! Please see the article below to learn more…

Stress makes organic tomatoes more nutritious, sweeter

Jeremy Hance
mongabay.com
February 20, 2013

Tomato on the vine. Photo by: David Besa.

Organic tomatoes are sweeter (more sugar) and more nutritious (more vitamin C and anti-oxidants) than tomatoes grown with pesticides and chemical fertilizers, according to a new study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE. The scientists theorize that stress may be why organic farming produces a more nutritious and tastier tomato.

The researchers found that on average organic tomatoes contained 55 percent more vitamin C; 57 more soluble solids, i.e. sweetener; and 139 percent phenolic content. Natural phenols are chemical compounds that can act as antioxidants such as lycopene.

The scientists write that they believe “stressing conditions” in organic farming creates a more potent tomato, both in terms of nutrition and taste. According to the scientists, moderate stress in organic farming, due to lower mineral availability, causes tomatoes to undergo oxidative stress, triggering the fruit to generate more nutritious molecules.

“Indeed, several studies have demonstrated that fruits and vegetables from organic farming generally are endowed with enhanced nutritional properties,” the researchers write.