Comparing soilless and non-chemical farming food production systems: Nutritional and environmental aspects for food security and sustainability

Abstract Plant factory with artificial light (PFAL) technology is a soilless cultivation system that designed to optimize plant growth, productivity, and product quality, as well as ensure efficient use of water and fertilizer. Non-chemical farming (N-CF) systems are a traditional agricultural cultivation method. Both agricultural systems can serve as commodity production methods for ensuring food security. However, concerns about nutritional value and environmental sustainability remain. This study compares the nutritional compositions, antioxidant contents, environmental impacts, and carbon footprint of kale (Brassica oleracea L.) in PFAL and N-CF systems. The proximate values of kale in PFAL and N-CF systems were not significantly different (p < 0.05). However, the results revealed that antioxidant contents, determined by polyphenol, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay were significantly lower in PFAL-harvested kale than in N-CF-harvested kale after three months. The polyphenol, ORAC and FRAP of PFAL kale were 68.95 mg GAE/100 g, 1,321.25 and 111.95 μmol TE/100 g fresh weight, respectively, while those of N-CF kale were136.06 mg GAE/100 g, 3,519.87 and 220.17 μmol TE/100 g fresh weight, respectively. The carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of 3 month-kale from PFAL and N-CF productions were 168.61 and 14.75 Kg CO2 eq./kg of kale, respectively. Consequently, new policies should be oriented toward reducing environmental pressure by introducing process certification of low environmental impacts. However, not only environmental aspects but also the adequacy of nutritive values of products should be a concern for farming food production systems.