A brief comparative evaluation of nitrate in organic vs. conventional produce and consequences

The present chapter reports on the distribution of nitrates and nitrites in plants cultivated following organic and conventional procedures, in the attempt to give a deeper insight into some possible differences and to compare the two cultivation procedures. Nitrate and nitrite content is an important quality characteristic of vegetables. Vegetable nitrate content is of interest even if nitrate itself is relatively non-toxic but its metabolites may produce a number of health effects. In this chapter, we summarize research results regarding nutritional and safety properties of vegetable foods, evidencing qualitative and quantitative differences observed between the two cultivation methods. We also have reported for the presence of volatile nitrosamines in foodstuffs. Nitrosamines occur commonly because their chemical precursor amines and nitrosating agents occur commonly, and the chemical reaction for nitrosamine formation is quite easy. Furthermore, toxicological and analytical aspects have been considered. Notwithstanding the existence of conflicting literature, we suggest that a special care should be taken about the ingestion of foods in relation to the content of nitrates and nitrites.