Plants cultivated using natural light-equivalent illumination not only grow as well as those grown in nature but also experience improved nutrient content, according to a recent finding.

Seoul Semiconductor Co., an optical chip company, said on Monday that its experiment confirmed that plants can grow stably and promote an increase in effective nutrient content when cultivated with its light-emitting diode (LED) lighting, which mimics natural light.

The experiment compared the effectiveness of regular white LED lighting with SunLike LED lighting that has a spectrum similar to natural light and the same brightness. It spanned two weeks and compared the harvest volume of lettuce, as well as the levels of antioxidant substances such as chlorogenic acid and chicoric acid.

Chlorogenic acid and chicoric acid help remove active oxygen in the human body, inhibiting aging and inflammation and preventing diseases such as aging, vision deterioration, Alzheimer’s, and arthritis.

The results of the experiment showed that the harvest volume of lettuce grown under SunLike LED lighting increased by 4 percent compared to regular white LED lighting. Meanwhile, the levels of the antioxidant substances chlorogenic acid and chicoric acid increased by 55 percent and 31 percent, respectively.

“We have confirmed that using light close to natural light can increase the nutrient content of plants,” the company said.

Seoul Semiconductor has been operating its own plant cultivation experimental farm for over a decade, where it conducts research on the growth and nutrient changes of various plants and nuts using various light sources. It is conducting experiments measuring nutrients and their effects on cells.

By Kim Si-gyun and Chang Iou-chung

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