Mar 7, 2023
GLASE will present new CEA webinar on enhancements in plant growth

The GLASE webinar series on the latest innovations and practices in the CEA field will continue on March 16, with the webinar, “Lighting Modulation for Targeted Enhancement in Food Quality, Nutrition and Safety of Fresh Produce.”

Advancements in LED lighting have stimulated rapid industry growth in controlled environment agriculture (CEA). The flexibility to tune light spectra, intensity, and photoperiod has offered unprecedented opportunities to modulate plant growth and product quality and nutrition during primary production. LED lights are also poised to play an increasingly important role in the post-harvest arena, progressing from simple ambient lighting and visual enhancement in retail stores, to advancements in fresh produce quality, safety, and shelf life.

In this webinar, Dr. Luo will share her research findings regarding LED light modulations for targeted enhancements in plant growth, sensorial quality, and bioactive compound accumulation in microgreens and baby greens during pre- and/or post-harvest operations. The use of a sequential application of organic acid and UV-C treatment for improved microbial reduction in process water will also be discussed.

Speakers

Dr. Yaguang (Sunny) Luo is a “Super Grade” senior scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS). She joined the agency in 2001 after over five years of research and management experience in the fresh produce industry. Her research centers on food quality, nutrition and safety of fresh produce in the farm to fork supply chain.

Dr. Luo has served on the Inter-Agency Food Safety Task Force of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy and consulted for the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization. She currently collaborates with NASA in researching best methods for growing microgreens in space, and her pioneering research findings on microgreens have been widely used by the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) industry in developing specialty products. Dr. Luo is a recipient of the Outstanding Researcher Award from the American Society of Horticultural Science and an elected Fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists.

In this webinar, Dr. Luo will share her research findings regarding LED light modulations for targeted improvements in product quality and nutrition traits during pre- and post-harvest operations.