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Organic production is a manner of food production whereby people relate to nature to produce healthy food in a sustainable way. Access to the organic food market requires a guarantee that the product complies with the standards and principles established by the moral and legal authorities of organic production. In Latin America, Mexico is the greatest exporter of organic products, mainly coffee. Sales are estimated at nearly 500 million dollars, and certified field surface is 15,000 ha. The objective of this work is to show the certification process of organic production carried at Colima state. The University of Colima Organic Production Certifying Committee (CUCEPRO) is an organic production certification agency, a nonprofit organization, operating since 1993. Furthermore, CUCEPRO promotes organic production, a viable alternative and offer important information on the basic principles of organic production, the procedures which producers need to go through to have their product certified organic. CUCEPRO took part in the determination of the Mexican Quality Control Norms NOM-037-FITO-1995. This agency is constituted by Univ. of Colima teachers and researchers with great expertise on the different areas and processes of organic production. Certification takes between one and 2.5 months depending on distance, kinds of analyses, and seal production and issuing. In the last years CUCEPRO has certified more 3000 hectares of products such as coffee, sesame seed, banana, and mango, as well as honey, compost, and biological pesticides. Certification demand steadily increased due to reliability and confidence on CUCEPRO and to increased acceptance of organic products on the other.
In plants, secondary metabolites (SMs) have functions of both defense and adaptation to the environment in which they develop. In Mexico, ‘Hass’ avocado is cultivated in different climate types, so during its development, the fruit is exposed to extreme climatic factors, especially temperature and solar radiation. A recent study showed that the thickness and roughness of ‘Hass’ skin increased in the hottest climate. It is unknown how these factors affect the presence of SMs and lignin in the skin. The aim of this research was to quantify the concentration of total phenolic compounds (TPCs), chlorophylls, total carotenoids (TCARs), and lignin in the skin of ‘Hass’ avocado fruit over five developmental stages (S), based on fruit diameter [Olive (20–30 mm ø), S-I (35–45 mm ø), S-II (50–60 mm ø), S-III (60–70 mm ø) and Harvest (mesocarp dry matter ≥21.5%)], in three producing regions of Mexico: Nayarit (warm subhumid climate, elevation 1151 m), Jalisco (semiwarm, subhumid climate, elevation 2180 m), and Michoacán (temperate climate, elevation 1579 m). Both fruit developmental stage and producing region had a significant influence on the concentrations of SMs and lignin in the skin. During fruit development, the skin showed a decrease in the concentration of phenolic compounds (PCs) and an increase in the presence of chlorophylls, carotenoids, and lignin. The skin of fruit produced in regions with a semiwarm and temperate climate had higher production of lignin and PCs, as well as a lower concentration of chlorophylls.