What are inorganic & organic food substances?

Question

I'm doing research in biology on incoming substances and I wouldn't have posted this but it's not in my book, nor on Wiki or Google. I need verified answers please...a link or facts would be great. Thanks!

Answer 1

Organic substanses have carbon in them. It was once thought that they had to have come from a living organism, but is not true now.

Food that is organic=carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins

Food that is inorganic=water, minerals

Answer 2

The organic/inorganic situation you seem to be referring to is actually more of a misnomer in scientific terms. All foods are organic to some extent, the only exemption being water. Organic in science means HydroCarbon Based, while Organic in your grocery store refers to how the food was treated (in other words no fertilizers or pesticides on plants).

Any food that contains: sugars, proteins, or lipids (fats and waxes) are HydroCarbon based and therefore scientifically speaking organic (this includes all plants and animal based foods). While organically grown lettuce (I am just using this as an example) that you would find in your produce section is lettuce that was not sprayed with an insecticide to keep catepillars away.

Hope this clears up the situation so you can find the appropriate information.

Addendum- as the person above myself mentioned Electrolytes, minerals, metals, and ions are inorganic substances that your body needs... iodized table salt is one of the few completely inorganic compounds a person intakes however there is no energy gain from these sources.

Answer 3

Organic substances contain carbonaceous matter, the stuff that makes up food, like fiber and cellulose and plant materials. They include proteins and fats and carbohydrates. Inorganic food stuff does not contain carbon, so it's things like minerals and electrolytes and other non carbon elements and components of food that are essential for life.

Answer 4

There are several ways to answer this question depending upon one's personal point of view. Most of this depends upon what you mean by "inorganic and organic".

First, there is the Health point of view. Here the usual term used is "Approved Organic" and this means that no toxic pesticides or genetic mutations or modification of the crop or product has taken place. (see the first reference). This is opposed to "non-organic" and not inorganic.

The second issue is one of Marketing. Here a product (food substance) might be called "Organic" because it will generally bring a higher price at the market place for those who think that they are buying "Approved Organic" products. This is often related to the use of organic fertilizers. Here, manure from cattle who have been given gross amounts of hormones is still considered "Organic".

From a chemical point of view, Organic food substances must contain carbon. These would include any product that has carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and fats normally found in nature. Inorganic food substances would include salts, water, and minerals.

Here are some issues to consider:
Land used for a century with inorganic chemical fertilizers and pesticides can be converted to organic farming by the current use of organic fertilizers and techniques. These products may not be "Approved Organic" because the crops may contain some of these chemicals upon analysis.

Some products like honey are almost always Organic and seldom contain any residual chemicals. To pay more for "Organic Honey" is foolish.