Supermarket Lighting May Alter Nutrients
Related: light, Lighting, Nutrients, Supermarket
I bet you don’t think about supermarket lighting very much. Me either. But it turns out that fluorescent lighting in grocery stores might increase the nutritional value of fresh spinach, according to a new study.
Many stores display fresh spinach in clear plastic containers, which are kept at around 39 degrees Fahrenheit in coolers exposed to fluorescent light 24 hours a day. In the study, researchers exposed fresh spinach leaves to continuous fluorescent light or darkness for three to nine days.
After three days, the spinach stored under the lights had higher levels of vitamins C, K, E and folate, as well as higher levels of lutein and zeaxanthin, which are healthful plant pigments. After nine days of continuous exposure to the lights, the levels of folate increased 84 to 100 percent. Vitamin K increased 50 to 100 percent, depending on the spinach variety.
In darkness Spinach had unchanged or lower levels of nutrients. The study sheds some interesting light on nutrients. Pun intended.
Last Updated on March 10th, 2010
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