Levels of nitrate in Swedish lettuce and spinach over the past ten years

Leonardo Merino (1) , Per Ola Darnerud (2) , Ulla Edberg (2) , Per Åman (3) , Maria del Pilar Castillo (4)

1 Research & Development
2 Research & Development
3 Food Science
4 Microbiology

Monitoring of nitrate in Swedish-produced lettuce and spinach over the past ten years (1996-2005) showed that more than 95 % of the samples were below the maximum levels established by the European Commission in 1997. The good agricultural practices used by Swedish farmers may partly explain these results. Analytical results of organic farming production of lettuce from year 2000 showed low nitrate levels compared to conventional production. The ten years of Swedish experience show a good compliance with the EU maximum levels, but even lower nitrate levels may be reached by organic farming methods, at least regarding fresh lettuce grown under cover.

Mots clés: Life Sciences

Leonardo Merino, Per Ola Darnerud, Ulla Edberg, Per Åman, Maria del Pilar Castillo. Levels of nitrate in Swedish lettuce and spinach over the past ten years. Food Additives and Contaminants, 2006, 23 (12), pp.1283-1289. ⟨10.1080/02652030600930543⟩. ⟨hal-00577282⟩