Anushuya Guragain, Zeynal Topalcengiz, Juan Moreira
Microgreens are immature and nutritious seedlings, rich in micronutrients and bioactive compounds these crops are commonly grown in controlled environments. Various light sources are used during indoor growth of microgreens depending on the specific light spectrum requirements of the crop, the energy efficiency of the lighting system, and budget-oriented market availability of production systems. Light Emitting Diode (LED) treatments offer a promising opportunity for microgreen production. This review synthesizes current literature on the effects of various treatments/conditions, emphasizing LED light spectra (wavelength), intensity, and photo period on microgreen characteristics including yield and growth, nutrient composition, and microbial safety. Currently, research on lighting effect on nutritional properties focus on Brassicaceae family which could be further expanded to other plant groups. Also, limited research on photoperiod (LED lighting duration) represents a research gap. Influence of the light quality, intensity and photoperiod have been reported on microgreen growth, yield and nutritional properties which vary with microgreen type. Although foodborne pathogens are known to persist and proliferate in microgreens under poor production and handling conditions, there remains a critical research gap regarding microbial survival, proliferation, and antimicrobial efficacy during production and storage under LED lighting systems. This highlights a need for comprehensive research to develop food safety protocols for microgreen production with LED light treatment holding significant potential.