COMPARATIVE NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF CONVENTIONAL AND VALUE-ADDED AGRICULTURAL FOOD PRODUCTS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53555/gafs.v12i1.2574Keywords:
Agricultural foods, Value addition, Nutritional quality, Food processing, NOVA classificationAbstract
Value addition can improve the usability, shelf life, and market potential of agricultural foods, but its relationship with nutritional quality varies across products and processing conditions. This study compared the nutritional characteristics of conventional/minimally processed and value-added agricultural food products using a cross-sectional food composition dataset. The analysis included 9,168 products, comprising 7,063 conventional products classified as NOVA 1 and 2,105 value-added products classified as NOVA 3. Nutrient composition, health score, and Nutri-Score indicators were compared using non-parametric tests, chi-square analysis, and food-category-adjusted regression models. Value-added products had higher median sodium and calcium concentrations, whereas conventional products contained higher iron and vitamin C levels and achieved a higher median health score. Nutri-Score distributions differed significantly between groups, with grade E occurring more frequently among value-added products. After adjustment for food category, value-added status was positively associated with energy, protein, saturated fat, calcium, and Nutri-Score value, while negative associations were observed for health score and sugar. Fiber, sodium, iron, and vitamin C showed no significant adjusted associations. The findings demonstrate that value addition produces nutrient-specific changes rather than a uniform improvement or deterioration in nutritional quality. Nutrient composition, food category, and processing intensity should therefore be considered jointly when developing and evaluating value-added agricultural foods.
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