Comparison of major nutrients and minerals between organic and conventional tomatoes. A review

Consumers have considered organic crops more beneficial to health and the environment as opposed to conventional crops. The following review aims to compare the major nutrients and mineral content in organic and conventional tomatoes. As such, articles related to the comparison of organic and conventional tomato crops were selected, as well as articles in which nutrient and/or mineral content were determined. Four research groups were formed based on their hypotheses. The quality of each study was evaluated considering the statistical tools used to determine the results’ significance. Result ranges were compared to analyze the variation in the individual nutrient and mineral content in each study. No objective evidence was found that organic crops are nutritionally better than conventional crops; in both cases, results were within similar ranges. For conventional and organic tomatoes (fresh weight), the respective concentration ranges were 1.00–63.8 mg/100 g and 10.7–40.0 mg/100 g for ascorbic acid, 0.02–337.0 mg/100 g and 0.44–422 mg/100 g for lycopene, and 0.0058–4.44 mg/100 g and 0.0061–3.90 mg/100 g for β-carotene. For polyphenol and mineral content, the results varied depending on farming technique. Finally, aspects related to environmental protection help organic products achieve better market positioning.