Sprouts and Microgreens-Novel Food Sources for Healthy Diets

Area of Science:

• Horticultural Science
• Nutritional Science
• Food Science

Background:

• Growing consumer demand for healthy, ready-to-eat foods fuels interest in microscale vegetables (sprouts and microgreens).
• These vegetables are recognized for their high phytonutrient density and potential health-promoting secondary metabolites, particularly Brassica varieties.
• Traditional crops, landraces, and wild relatives offer opportunities to expand the diversity of microscale vegetable production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review commonly used crops for microscale vegetable production.
• To highlight the health benefits and consumer acceptance of sprouts and microgreens.
• To explore factors influencing the nutritional value and phytochemical content of microscale vegetables.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of scientific publications on microscale vegetable production, nutritional content, and influencing factors.
• Analysis of crop diversity, including landraces and wild relatives.
• Examination of environmental and priming factors affecting phytochemicals and nutritional value.

Main Results:

• Sprouts and microgreens are often more nutrient-dense than mature vegetables or ungerminated seeds.
• Factors such as growth environment, substrates, stress, priming, biostimulants, biofortification, and light significantly impact nutritional profiles.
• Brassica vegetables are highlighted for their rich secondary metabolites like polyphenols and glucosinolates.

Conclusions:

• Microscale vegetables offer a sustainable, low-input, pesticide-free food source with high nutritional value.
• Environmental and priming strategies can optimize the phytochemical content and nutritional density.
• There is significant potential for expanding crop diversity and meeting consumer demand for healthy, functional foods.