UK vertical farming company Ro-Gro has unveiled the 'very first' pea shoots biofortified with vitamin B12, available this spring to retailers and hospitality. The pea shoots are the result of a collaboration between Ro-Gro, plant and microbiology research institute the John Innes Centre, food health and bioscience facility the Quadram Institute, and indoor farming tech firm LettUs Grow.
They are grown in Ro-Gro's vertical farm in Kent, UK, using ultrasonic aeroponic technology developed by LettUs Grow. The development is described by the companies as a 'significant step forward' in developing biofortified food, demonstrating the success of combining technology and farming to further a sustainable food system for the UK.
LettUs Grow's technology enables seedlings to be nutritionally enhanced with vitamins not usually found in plants. With aeroponics, plants are grown without soil and irrigated with a nutrient-dense mist. This increases the plant's access to oxygen and boosts its health, as well as lessening resource use.
According to Ro-Gro, it can guarantee a 14-day shelf life due to the use of the method, which allows plants to stay fresh for longer.
Read more at foodbev.com