Background:Sustainable production of microscale and leafy vegetables,especially sprouts,microgreens,and baby greens in controlled environment agriculture,represents a key innovation of the 21st century.A controlled en...Background:Sustainable production of microscale and leafy vegetables,especially sprouts,microgreens,and baby greens in controlled environment agriculture,represents a key innovation of the 21st century.A controlled environment mimics natural growth conditions,enabling a year-round supply of leafy vegetables while ensuring standard quality and maximizing nutrient bioavailability.Scope and approach:This review comprehensively describes the most recent trends in indoor cultivation practices to enhance the quality and nutrient profile of microscale and leafy vegetables,emphasizing the role of technological innovations,substrate selection,artificial lighting,and other environmental factors.It also discussed the vital role of these vegetables in alleviating the triple burden of hunger and strengthening global food and nutrition security while catering to the rising demand for premium and health-promoting food products.Despite being an excellent alternative to conventional agriculture,limitations persist with CEA preventing its large-scale application globally;hence,challenges and prospects are also outlined in detail.Key findings and conclusion:Adopting environmentally sustainable technologies and soilless cultivation has created numerous opportunities for the efficient production of nutrient-dense sprouts,microgreens,and baby greens enriched with vitamins,protein,dietary fibers,phenolics,flavonoids,and antioxidants.These methods offer cost-effective solutions with minimal processing while reducing the harmful impact of soil-borne pathogens,pesticides,and climate change.Additionally,temperature modulation in specific ranges and artificial light sources,especially LED and UV-LED,have significantly proven efficient for indoor vertical farming.These sustainable practices tend to mitigate global food demand and address malnutrition deficiencies.展开更多
基金NSFDCUGC,New Delhi,India,for their valuable financial support。
文摘Background:Sustainable production of microscale and leafy vegetables,especially sprouts,microgreens,and baby greens in controlled environment agriculture,represents a key innovation of the 21st century.A controlled environment mimics natural growth conditions,enabling a year-round supply of leafy vegetables while ensuring standard quality and maximizing nutrient bioavailability.Scope and approach:This review comprehensively describes the most recent trends in indoor cultivation practices to enhance the quality and nutrient profile of microscale and leafy vegetables,emphasizing the role of technological innovations,substrate selection,artificial lighting,and other environmental factors.It also discussed the vital role of these vegetables in alleviating the triple burden of hunger and strengthening global food and nutrition security while catering to the rising demand for premium and health-promoting food products.Despite being an excellent alternative to conventional agriculture,limitations persist with CEA preventing its large-scale application globally;hence,challenges and prospects are also outlined in detail.Key findings and conclusion:Adopting environmentally sustainable technologies and soilless cultivation has created numerous opportunities for the efficient production of nutrient-dense sprouts,microgreens,and baby greens enriched with vitamins,protein,dietary fibers,phenolics,flavonoids,and antioxidants.These methods offer cost-effective solutions with minimal processing while reducing the harmful impact of soil-borne pathogens,pesticides,and climate change.Additionally,temperature modulation in specific ranges and artificial light sources,especially LED and UV-LED,have significantly proven efficient for indoor vertical farming.These sustainable practices tend to mitigate global food demand and address malnutrition deficiencies.
