PIXE Analysis of Organic and Non-Organic Foods

Interest and debate continues today in the U.S. and Europe over whether organic foods are healthier for the consumer. Several studies show that fruits and vegetables may contain higher concentrations of vital nutrients. Using the PIXE technique, which is a quick and inexpensive way to analyze samples, this study is inconclusive on whether eating organic is necessarily healthier for an individual. However, it was shown that some foods do contain slightly higher amounts of nutrients such as Flour and Lettuce. In addition, store brand Corn Flakes contains nearly 19 times the amount of Iron than does the organic brand, but the organic brand contains 7 times the amount of Zinc. Both metals are vital to nutritional health. The most notable observation made while comparing milk is that store brand milk contains higher levels of Strontium, a potentially a poisonous agent to the human body if the concentration is high enough. 1. Organic Foods and PIXE Increasing interest and debate continue to engage the American public and much of Western Europe over organic vs. non-organic foods. Often the actual meaning of ‘organic’ is not understood so it is worthwhile to detail some essential characteristics that are common to foods. What is important in this research is organic farming because all foods tested come from organically grown food or organic cows. A good source online explains a few main features [1]: Organic farming severely restricts the use of artificial chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Instead, organic farmers rely on developing a healthy, fertile soil and growing a mixture of crops.