Space, the final frontier: A critical review of recent experiments performed in microgravity

Vandenbrink, Joshua P.; Kiss, John Z.

doi:10.1016/j.plantsci.2015.11.004

Cited by 92 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Padgett () describes the production and testing of films to hold seeds in place during cultivation. Vanderbrink and Kiss () suggest that microgravity may even affect epigenetic processes and consequently gene expression in plants. Additionally, food safety concerns are paramount for astronauts who have limited access to medical treatment during space travel and are confined together in a small space.…”

Section: Future Research Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microgreen nutrition, food safety, and shelf life: A review

Turner

Luo

Buchanan

2020

Journal of Food Science

117

101

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Microgreens have gained increasing popularity as food ingredients in recent years because of their high nutritional value and diverse sensorial characteristics. Microgreens are edible seedlings including vegetables and herbs, which have been used, primarily in the restaurant industry, to embellish cuisine since 1996. The rapidly growing microgreen industry faces many challenges. Microgreens share many characteristics with sprouts, and while they have not been associated with any foodborne illness outbreaks, they have recently been the subject of seven recalls. Thus, the potential to carry foodborne pathogens is there, and steps can and should be taken during production to reduce the likelihood of such incidents. One major limitation to the growth of the microgreen industry is the rapid quality deterioration that occurs soon after harvest, which keeps prices high and restricts commerce to local sales. Once harvested, microgreens easily dehydrate, wilt, decay and rapidly lose certain nutrients. Research has explored preharvest and postharvest interventions, such as calcium treatments, modified atmopsphere packaging, temperature control, and light, to maintain quality, augment nutritional value, and extend shelf life. However, more work is needed to optimize both production and storage conditions to improve the safety, quality, and shelf life of microgreens, thereby expanding potential markets.

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Section: Future Research Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microgreen nutrition, food safety, and shelf life: A review

Turner

Luo

Buchanan

2020

Journal of Food Science

117

101

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“…The EMCS consists of two centrifuges with atmosphere regulation, including ethylene removal, as well as remote hydration control (Brinckmann and Schiller 2002;Brinckmann 2005;Kiss et al 2014). The utilization of the onboard centrifuge provides an important control with the ability to separate microgravity effects from the other environmental conditions associated with spaceflight (Vandenbrink and Kiss 2016). The EMCS also contains a Sony FCB-IX470 video camera for image acquisition.…”

Section: Plant Materials and The Spaceflight Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A novel blue-light phototropic response is revealed in roots of Arabidopsis thaliana in microgravity

Vandenbrink

Herranz

Medina

et al. 2016

Planta

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Main conclusion Blue-light positive phototropism in roots is masked by gravity and revealed in conditions of microgravity. In addition, the magnitude of red-light positive phototropic curvature is correlated to the magnitude of gravity.Due to their sessile nature, plants utilize environmental cues to grow and respond to their surroundings. Two of these cues, light and gravity, play a substantial role in plant orientation and directed growth movements (tropisms). However, very little is currently known about the interaction between light-(phototropic) and gravity (gravitropic)-mediated growth responses. Utilizing the European Modular Cultivation System on board the International Space Station, we investigated the interaction between phototropic and gravitropic responses in three Arabidopsis thaliana genotypes, Landsberg wild type, as well as mutants of phytochrome A and phytochrome B. Onboard centrifuges were used to create a fractional gravity gradient ranging from reduced gravity up to 1g. A novel positive blue-light phototropic response of roots was observed during conditions of microgravity, and this response was attenuated at 0.1g. In addition, a red-light pretreatment of plants enhanced the magnitude of positive phototropic curvature of roots in response to blue illumination. In addition, a positive phototropic response of roots was observed when exposed to red light, and a decrease in response was gradual and correlated with the increase in gravity. The positive red-light phototropic curvature of hypocotyls when exposed to red light was also confirmed. Both red-light and blue-light phototropic responses were also shown to be affected by directional light intensity. To our knowledge, this is the first characterization of a positive blue-light phototropic response in Arabidopsis roots, as well as the first description of the relationship between these phototropic responses in fractional or reduced gravities.Correspondence to: John Z. Kiss. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article

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“…Spaceflight is potentially stressful for biological systems. Understanding this unique environment and its impact on gene regulation is a critical step in planning for long‐duration spaceflight missions (Perbal, 2008; Vandenbrink and Kiss, 2016). In support of these exploration missions, bioregenerative life support systems will use plants as a source of food, fuel, and fiber for space explorers (Mitchell, 1994; Paradiso et al, 2013).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%