Food from conventional or organic farming – a question of sensory analysis?

Iris Lehmann, Bonn

‘Taste’ is an important point for consumers buying food – including food of organic farming. Conventional food and food from organic farming – do they really differ in their sensory properties?

The question was studied by a panel of assessors of Sensoriklabor ttz, Bremerhaven, within the frame-work of the Federal Programme Organic Farming . It has been shown that there is only a product-specific – and no general answer – to this question. While a tomato ketchup of organic farming produce did not differ from a conventional ketchup, nut-cocoa paste, due to different recipes, tasted different. Certain restrictions in the processing of food of organic farming, e. g. regarding the use of stabilizers and other additives, may as well influence the product’s sensory properties. Consumer perceptions, last but not least, are also influenced by the image of a food.

Keywords: Panel of assessors, directive governing food of organic farming, food of organic farming, conventional agriculture, cultivation methods, conditions of lifestock management, sensory analysis, sensory properties.

Sie finden den Artikel in deutscher Sprache in Ernährungs Umschau 11/07 ab Seite 647.