You may not realize this, but most fruits and vegetables are still living when you eat them — this is what keeps them from turning mushy and limp. In a new study, researchers from Rice University have shown that these plants are not only living, but their metabolism continues to cycle in response to light/dark periods, influencing their nutritional quality:
“Vegetables and fruits don’t die the moment they are harvested,” said Rice biologist Janet Braam, the lead researcher on a new study this week in Current Biology. “They respond to their environment for days, and we found we could use light to coax them to make more cancer-fighting antioxidants at certain times of day.”
Gravitropic 