When one thinks about light, the usual perception would be of a basic application such as ceiling lights, table lamps, and neon boards. However, the thought of using lighting to improve the quality of our food instead of only on its’ appearance would rarely or never cross the minds of many. Understandably, it would be sceptical to most that this idea is something out of a sci-fi movie, or another fairy tale for the future. But, as a known fact, it is being used today.

Several leading products are already on the market which has utilised this technology. The products have been tuned to a spectrum and intensity where the light beam slows down discolouration of meat and oxidation of cheese, which affects its appearance, taste, and smell. Scientifically, the right kind of light can slow the breakdown of compounds such as sugars, vitamins and proteins, so that foods last longer and keep their colour. Not only does it improve the durability of the food, many other pros for supermarkets include the reduction of food waste, control costs and provide the best experience in the fresh food sections, which is a key battleground in the war with online retail. European supermarkets are the first test bed for this new technology such as Plus, Deka and Real in the Netherlands.

With these advanced lighting technologies, the increment of shelf life of sliced meat by 20 per cent and cheese by 50 per cent are observed, in comparison with the variety of white SON products. As quoted by experts, the main two parameters of tuning are light spectrum and intensity. Light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) possess unique properties that are highly suitable for several operations in the food industry. Such properties include low radiant heat emissions; high emissions of monochromatic light; electrical, luminous, and photon efficiency; long life expectancy, flexibility, and mechanical robustness. Therefore, they reduce thermal damage and degradation in crops and foods and are suitable in cold‐storage applications. Control over spectral composition of emitted light results in increased yields and nutritive content of horticultural or agricultural produce. Recently, LEDs have been shown to preserve or enhance the nutritive quality of foods in the post-harvest stage, as well as manipulate the ripening of fruits, and reduce fungal infections. LEDs can be used together with photosensitizers or photocatalysts to inactivate pathogenic bacteria in food. UV LEDs, which are rapidly being developed, can also effectively inactivate pathogens and preserve food in post-harvest stages. Therefore, LEDs provide a non-thermal means of keeping food safe without using chemical sanitizers or additives, and do not accelerate bacterial resistance.

Through this, we realise the future of lighting technology and we continue to stay optimistic about the potentials. As our supermarkets are getting more advanced with Self-Checkout systems and integrated apps, we foresee this kind of technology being implemented to improve the quality of our daily essentials especially with the increase of 1.2% growth of local population from 2018 to 2019, the current population stands at 5.7 million. Personally, that is a massive number and the more critical it is to preserve our food to feed the large population. All in all, we look forward to the upcoming future on how this lighting technology would be improved and how it is going to be implemented locally.

References:

https://www.luxreview.com/2019/06/27/the-right-light-helps-cheese-last-50-longer/?topic=6620
https://www.singstat.gov.sg/find-data/search-by-theme/population/population-and-population-structure/latest-data