We use cookies on our website. Some are necessary for the operation of the website. You can also allow cookies for statistical purposes. You can adjust the data protection settings or agree to all cookies directly.
Data Protection Declaration
Imprint
Controlled environment production and processing of high quality vegetable raw materials for use in food
Project
Project code: JKI-ÖPV-08-1414
Contract period: 01.01.2021
- 31.12.2023
Purpose of research: Applied research
Controlled environment cultivation (indoor farming) of plants, currently most commonly established in the form of vertical farming systems, is a relatively new cultivation method with a great need for research and development, especially in the areas of automation, energy efficiency, plant breeding and environment/plant interactions. Indoor farming has an extraordinarily high potential for the bio-economy, whereby the possibility of plant cultivation that is gentle on land and resources and at the same time independent of external conditions while guaranteeing constant quality and yields is particularly noteworthy. A further advantage is the possibility of targeted control of plant quality and yield through the choice of suitable environmental conditions. Indoor farming can therefore offer promising advantages in the areas of quality, local and year-round availability, resource and area-saving production, but also in terms of food safety. Under optimal conditions, for example, toxicologically relevant plant metabolites, residues or contaminants can be minimized or even eliminated.
In Germany, the technology has so far mainly been commercialised in the form of smaller systems for growing plants (especially salads and microgreens) at home or for use in restaurants or in retail. To our knowledge, the technology is not yet established on an industrial scale in the German food industry. In the NewFoodSystems innovation room, however, very promising business scenarios for the industrial application of this new cultivation method have been identified. These include the production of (i) Spilanthes acmella as a botanical raw material for the extraction of natural flavorings, with the help of which, for example (ii) Rubus chingii as a raw material plant for the production of natural, sweet-tasting substances and preparations, and (iii) high-quality, foreign leaf-free and pyr¬rolizidine alkaloid(PA)-free/ reduced herbs as food ingredients or as raw material plants for the production of extracts.
The overall aim of this project is to develop the scientific basis for a sustainable and economic indoor farming for the selected specialty crops. Besides the yield, the increase of valuable ingredients, the optimization of the use of mineral (special) fertilizers with the help of bioeffectors and/or the minimization or elimination of undesirable ingredients and a comparison with conventional cultivation will be in focus. In addition, hyperspectral techniques will be used to determine the content of valuable ingredients directly in the plant material, in order to be able to access fast and efficient quality control during the optimisation phase as well as the later transfer of the cultivation into the economy. The results obtained from the project on plant cultivation and technical-economic feasibility should be transferable to the indoor cultivation of other crops.
Accompanying the assessments carried out at the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Ecology (IME) to record relevant morphological (e.g. root length, growth height, leaf area and number, internodes, etc.) and spectral characteristics of the target plants Rubus, Spilanthes and Oregano (e.g. photosynthetic activity and chlorophyll content), measurements with mobile hyperspectral VIS/NIRS sensors will be carried out by the JKI. These will be used to develop a crop-accompanying estimation of ingredients as well as to detect changes due to e.g. pathogen infestation at an early stage. To this end, the spectral data will be statistically evaluated with those of the plant physiology, yield data and ingredient analysis, and suitable correlation models will be developed for quality determination directly on living plant material and its primary products. The methods developed in this way will be used in later cultivation to control and optimise indoor cultivation and to identify any necessary plant protection measures at an early stage.
In order to be able to make statements on the qualitative and quantitative composition of valuable ingredients already on living and fresh plant material, the use of hyperspectral NIRS sensors is necessary in addition to the measurements of chlorophyll content based on VIS spectroscopy. NIRS enables the detection of changes in the metabolic profile due to changes in structure-specific absorptions/reflections without destroying the plant tissue. Concentrations of valuable constituents can thus be estimated on fresh material in a relatively short measuring time. For this purpose, regular spectral recordings are made over the entire cultivation cycle of the named crops.
Section overview
Subjects
- Crop Protection
- Horticulture
- Climate Change
Framework programme
Funding programme
Excutive institution
Institute for Ecological Chemistry, Plant Analysis and Stored Products Protection (JKI-ÖPV)
