CAHNRS > CSANR > Grants > Nutrient Quality and Disease Prevention Benefits of Organic versus Conventional Tomatoes and their Products

Nutrient Quality and Disease Prevention Benefits of Organic versus Conventional Tomatoes and their Products

Grant Information

  • Project ID: 020
  • Project Status: Complete

2007

  • Principal Investigator(s): Andrews, P., Davies, N.
  • Investigator(s): Carpenter-Boggs, L., Collier, M., Vega-Villa, K., Yanez, J.
  • Grant Amount: $19,900
  • 2007 Progress Report (PDF)

2008

  • Principal Investigator(s): Andrews, P., Davies, N.
  • Investigator(s): Carpenter-Boggs, L., Collier, M., Vega-Villa, K., Yanez, J.
  • Grant Amount: $19,900
  • 2008 Progress Report (PDF)

Publications

Yáñez JA, Remsberg CM, Miranda ND, Vega-Villa KR, Andrews PK, Davies NM. 2008. Pharmacokinetics of selected chiral flavonoids: Hesperetin, naringenin, and eriodictyol in rats and their disposition in fruit juices. Biopharmaceutics & Drug Disposition 29(2): 63-82.

Vega-Villa KR, Remsberg CM, Takemoto JK, Ohgami Y, Yáñez JA, Andrews PK, Davies NM. 2010. Stereospecific pharmacokinetics of racemic homoeriodictyol, isosakuranetin, and taxifolin in rats and their disposition in fruit. Chirality (doi: 10.1002/chir.20926).

Additional Funds Leveraged

We applied for a NIFA Organic Research and Extension grants in 2009 and 2010 to continue this line of research in a field setting, but our grant proposals were not funded in either year. We then applied for a CSANR BIOAg grant in 2010 to study the role of both organic versus conventional soil fertility and herbivory by aphids on nutrient content of tomato fruit. This grant was funded ($39,820) and research is currently underway on this project with a funded M.S. student. It is hoped that this additional research will help us to leverage an extramural research grant for continuation of this research.

Impacts

Short-Term: The tomato greenhouse experiment and fruit analysis for phytonutrients were completed. The most significant findings were that when tomato plants were fertilized with readily available inorganic nutrients, their fruit had lower concentration of phytonutrients as well as declining phytonutrient concentrations as fruit size increased compared to tomatoes fertilized with organic nutrients. This is clear indication of a dilution effect with increasing fruit size, but only for the conventional soil fertility treatment. A graduate student on the current BIOAg project will formally analyze the data and prepare a manuscript of the results.

Intermediate-Term: We expect that the knowledge gained from this and our current project on nutrient density of produce will permit us to disseminate more accurate scientific information to agricultural and health professionals.

Long-Term: Enhanced sustainability of agriculture and improved public health.