Analyses of consumer perceptions, farmer challenges, polyamine, and amino acid content of organic and conventional fresh produce grown in South Carolina

Execution of the USDA organic standards led to more support for local food as distinct from organic food. The current study was conducted to examine fresh produce perceptions and purchasing decisions of S.C. consumers. Four-hundred and eight S.C. consumers were surveyed at S.C. grocery stores. More than one-third of the S.C. consumers not knowing about the "certified S.C. grown" program suggest that the S.C. Department of Agriculture (SCDA) may want to improve the promotion of their program. Eighty-five percent of consumers indicated that they would choose local over organic. This information would be useful to local S.C. produce farmers who are contemplating whether or not to go through the USDA organic certification process.;The annual revenue from fruit and vegetable production in S.C. has been estimated to reach ;Putrescine (diamine), spermine and spermidine (polyamines), as well as cadaverine are indispensible components of living cells and are in fruits and vegetables. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables have been found to combat diseases. Leafy greens are no exception. There has been an increasing trend toward organic farming because it is perceived as healthier by consumers. Research has shown organic products to be higher than their conventional counterparts in polyamines but more controlled research was necessary to validate this finding. Therefore, USDA organic and conventional collard greens were grown in a greenhouse to examine the effect of cultivation practices on quality attributes. The organic collards weighed significantly less, were significantly lighter and had a significantly higher polyamine concentration (P-value < 0.05) than their conventional counterparts. Polyamines were found to be associated with higher yellow values within the organically grown collards, which may be a predictor of higher levels of polyamines.