Use of LEDs for shelf life extension of leafy greens

加拿大杂货店每年浪费超过70亿美元的新鲜农产品，主要是因为商店更喜欢展示/销售看起来吸引顾客的农产品。这不仅造成了与食物浪费相关的负面社会和环境内涵，而且还代表着加拿大零售商的收入来源损失，也是支付大笔资金处理生物质的纳税人的成本。我们实验室最近的一项研究表明，用正确的LED灯强度和波长照明蔬菜可以延长货架寿命，而不是目前杂货店里买到的荧光灯。暴露在正确的LED下可以通过调节植物的呼吸来防止叶类蔬菜的枯萎，从而保护叶片的松脆。LED灯制造商U Technology Corporation已经确定水果和蔬菜的采后贮藏是他们可以占领的潜在细分市场。然而，虽然U科技公司目前在国内和商业部门生产用于轮廓照明的LED，但它们的灯并不适合蔬菜储存。此外，尽管LED波长对生物量保鲜的影响已经被研究过，但很少有人研究光强对水果和蔬菜的影响。因此，这项由U Technology Corporation和McGill University发起的合作研究项目旨在测试不同波长、不同强度的LED，以研究LED在菠菜、羽衣甘蓝和罗勒采后贮藏中的多功能性。主要申请者，Lefsrud博士，在植物生长环境的改善和控制方面有一个既定的研究计划，在该地区发表了26篇论文。他是使用不同照明系统(LED和其他辅助照明)、营养输送系统和受控环境加热的植物生产专家。Kam Hammad先生是U Technology Corporation的首席执行官，在照明审计和LED制造方面拥有超过10年的经验。

More than $7 billion of fresh produce is wasted in Canadian grocery stores every year, primarily because stores prefer to showcase/sell produce that looks appealing to their customers. This not only creates a negative social and environmental connotation associated with food wastage, but it also represents a lost revenue stream for Canadian retailers and is a cost to taxpayers who pay large sums to dispose of the biomass. A recent study in our laboratory has shown that the shelf-life of vegetables can be increased by illuminating them with the correct intensity and wavelength of LED lights, instead of the fluorescent lamps that are currently found in grocery stores. Exposure to the correct LEDs can prevent wilting in leafy vegetables by regulating plant respiration thereby conserving leaf 'crunchiness'.The LED light manufacturer, U Technology Corporation has identified postharvest storage of fruits andvegetables as a potential market segment that they can capture. However, while U Technology Corporation currently manufactures LEDs for profile lighting in the domestic and commercial sectors but their lights are not geared towards vegetable storage. Moreover, although the effects of LED wavelengths on biomass preservation have been researched, few studies have been done to look into the impact of light intensity on fruits and vegetables. As a result, this collaborative research project was initiated between U Technology Corporation and McGill University to test different LED wavelengths at different intensities to study the versatility of LEDs in postharvest storage of spinach, kale and basil. The principal applicant, Dr. Lefsrud, has an established research program in the enhancement and control of plant growth environments with 26 publications in the area. He is an expert in plant production with different lighting systems (LED and other supplemental lighting), nutrient delivery systems and heating of controlled environments. Mr. Kam Hammad is the Chief Executive Officer of U Technology Corporation with over 10 years of experience in conducting lighting audits and LED fabrication.