(translated from the Italian original – adapted slightly for clearer comprehension)

Institute of Nutritional Science
Via Roma 52 A-C, 83100 Avellino, Italy Tel: +39 0825 299 111
Fax: +39 0825 781 585 e-mail: segreteria@isa.av.cnr.it

Analytic tests on samples of potatoes (variety AGRIA), cultivated in separated experimental fields, one of which was treated with the organic GEOLIFE™ Gardens & Farms product, developed and produced by BIOMA Agro Ecology CO AG of Switzerland.

Area of cultivation: Tenuta del Barone Collice, Camigliatello Silano, Italy.

The various analyses were made in triplicate and concerned the determination of the dry residue, the ash content, the starch content, and the Vitamin C content. Additional tests were made on fresh samples concerning the tendency toward oxidation by means of photo analyses and concerning the resistance to pricking.

Results obtained:
The sample which was obtained from the cultivation treated with GEOLIFE™ Gardens & Farms had a dry residue of 19.65%, compared to a dry residue value of 15.25% for the control sample. Also the ashes resulted in a higher percentage (1%), compared to the control (0.81%).

Regarding the starch content, a higher percentage (14.5%) was measured in the sample treated with GEOLIFE™, compared to the control sample (10.5%). The content of Vitamin C, determined by means of HPLC (High-performance liquid chromatography), likewise resulted higher in the sample treated with GEOLIFE™, with a value approximately 2.1 times higher than that of the control sample.

The mechanical tests made on the two samples gave results which were similar, which nonetheless demonstrated the good quality of both samples.

For the verification of the oxidation state, the samples were minced and left in the open at room temperature in a Petri dish for a period of 6 hours. At various intervals picture analyses were made by means of computerized scanning. The same type of analysis was made on the two samples cut into slices.

A noticeable difference between the 2 samples and their tendency to oxidize was evident. In detail: after 2 hours the control sample presented a state of oxidation which was reached by the sample treated with GEOLIFE™ only after 6 hours.