ABSTRACT
Fluorescence Excitation Spectroscopy (FES) analyses the emission of light from a sample in order to provide biochemical information and may be used as a measurement in the quality assessment of food systems. An introduction into the method of FES is presented, including the historical background of the development of the methodology based on Gurwitsch’s and Popp’s research into mitogenetic radiation and biophotons, as well as a description of the measurement devices. Food produce grown under organic, biodynamic and conventional farming systems are compared from three scientifically controlled field experiments (wheat in Switzerland, cocoa beans in Bolivia and apples in the Netherlands). The results are used to explain the epistemology and the specific quality criteria which may be evaluated by FES, including product-specific or species-specific emission spectra, expression of specific maturation, plant development stages, organisational performance, and aspects of the integrity of the plant and its resilience to stay healthy.
