Microgreens: An Integrated Review of Cultivation Practices, Nutritional Composition and Health Promoting Potential
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29070/agx6s974Keywords:
Microgreens, Functional Foods, Nutritional Quality, Hydroponic Cultivation, Value-Added Foods, Phytochemicals, Sensory Evaluation, Consumer Acceptability, Sustainable AgricultureAbstract
Microgreens are considered one of the most nutritious food and their increasing popularity in agriculture and urban food systems, they appear to represent a very promising for functional foods. Notably, the highest level of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and bioactive compounds have been documented when harvesting these young edible seedlings at the cotyledon and early true leaf stage than the mature plant forms. This review is based on literature to reflect the present Knowledge on cultivation techniques and nutritional studies and utilization of selected microorganisms for value added food products. The various types of cultivation systems (soil, hydroponic and controlled environment types) explored highlight the effect they have on yield potential, phytochemistry and quality. The nutritional characterization of microgreens reveals their high nutritional value in both vitamins (A, C, E and K) and minerals, with such flavonoids and polyphenols as part of the health benefits contributing to their antioxidative capabilities. Moreover, a quick overview of the different way to process and/or incorporate microgreens into a number of different food recipes such as salad products, smoothies, bakery products, functional snacks and how these help in food nutrition. Further the sensory characteristics and consumer acceptance are also extensively studied because sensory characteristics play a significant role in the market adoption and the consumer acceptance. They offer numerous physical and nutritional benefits, but come with drawbacks in terms of their shorter shelf life, need for scaling up and consumer awareness.
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