Influence of organic agricultural practices compared to conventional agricultural practices on the nutritional and functional characteristics of strawberry Fragaria×ananassa cultivar Inspire
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1
Laboratory of Natural Resources and Sustainable Development, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra, Morocco
2
Research Unit on the Improvement and Conservation of Plant genetic Resources (UP-ACRP), National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA), CRRA Kenitra, BP 257 Kenitra, Morocco
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Marouane AOUJI
Laboratory of Natural Resources and Sustainable Development, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra, Morocco
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ABSTRACT
This study compares the organic cultivation method and the conventional method to see which system produces more nutritious, more functional and healthier strawberries. It reveals that fruits from organic farming contain more dry matter (9.37%) than conventional ones (8.77%), soluble sugars 6.69 °Brix against 5.74 °Brix, proteins (0.85% against 0.74%), ash (0.58% against 0.48%) and energy (36.28 kcal/100 g against 34.59 kcal/100 g), a sign of a higher nutritional density. They also accumulate more zinc (5.73 mg/kg versus 3.53 mg/kg), iron (0.47 mg/kg versus 0.37 mg/kg) and copper (2.85 mg/kg versus 2.21 mg/kg), while conventional strawberries display higher levels of potassium, calcium and phosphorus (respectively 1807.33, 182.33, and 256 mg/kg). In addition, organic strawberries contain more polyphenols (242.6 mg/g versus 176.833 mg/g) and anthocyanins, accompanied by a more pronounced antioxidant activity. The distribution of sugars is also more favorable in organic mode, with a preference for fructose (2.833 g/100 g) and sucrose (0.847 g/100 g) which enhances the taste. In terms of health, pesticide residues appear only in conventional strawberries, while organic products appear to be free of any trace. This observation validates one of the main advantages of organic farming in terms of food safety.