Growing biofortified microgreens in indoor farm and in greenhouse: a comparison

The quality of vegetables production is important for human health. The content of secondary metabolites or specific bioactive compounds can be increased and standardized through soilless cultivation techniques, even in the presence of LED lighting. In fact, the light is one of the main factors able to modulate the biosynthesis of metabolites in plants. In recent years, in addition to this, there is an increasing demand for tailor-made food, and enriched with key microelements affecting human health. The present study aimed to investigate quantitative and qualitative aspects in horticultural crops of the Apiaceae family, cultivated indoor or in greenhouse and harvested at microgreens stage. Biofortification techniques have also been tested to study the increase in the nutritional value of microgreens and whether the biofortification is influenced by the adopted cultivation system. The evaluation of extrinsic quality, yield, fresh weight, and dry weight was carried out at harvest. Subsequently, the concentration of mineral elements and phytochemicals (including carotenoids) was determined on fresh tissues.