OptiClimatefarm Indoor Controlled Environment Planting Research

Color of leaf Determines Its Antioxidant Effect

According to a new study, the color of the leaves determines the speed at which their compounds act, so lettuces with green leaves have antioxidants that react more slowly, while red-leaf ones have a faster effect.

Antioxidants provide long-term protection against the chain reactions of free radical processes that cause cellular damage and promote a wide variety of diseases.

Free radicals harm our body by causing, in the best of cases, aging and, in the worse, serious diseases.

red-leaf is rich in antioxidants, as it contains nutrients like phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and vitamins A and C, among other compounds.

Having determined the kinetics of the antioxidants, We continue to delve into the controllable environment through indoor hydroponics + LED + CO2,trying to boost the effect of the specific compounds in each variety by subjecting the plants to short stresses.

The results of our study show that,These compounds perform defense functions in plants. So if conditions that are not the normal ones are applied to them (such as watering them with salinated water, subjecting them to high lighting intensity or working with raised concentrations of CO2), these defenses will become intensified and, as a result, the antioxidant qualities of the plants will be boosted.