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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BHNRC) » Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center » Diet, Genomics and Immunology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #352006
Title: The science behind microgreens as an exciting new food for the 21st century

Author
item CHOE, UYORY - University Of Maryland
item YU, LIANGLI - University Of Maryland
item Wang, Thomas - Tom

Submitted to: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/20/2018
Publication Date: 10/20/2018
Citation: Choe, U., Yu, L., Wang, T.T.Y. 2018. The science behind microgreens as an exciting new food for the 21st century. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 7:66(44). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.8b03096.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.8b03096

Interpretive Summary: Chronic diseases are a major health problem in the United States. Accumulated data suggest that the consumption of vegetables can significantly reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Dietary guidelines from USDA in 2015-2020 recommend 1 to 4 cups of vegetables/day for males and 1 to 3 cups of vegetables/day for females depending on their ages. However, the average intake of vegetables are below the recommended levels. Microgreens are young vegetable greens. Although their sizes are small, microgreens have delicate textures, distinctive flavors and various nutrients. In general, microgreens contain greater amounts of nutrients and health-promoting micronutrients than their mature counterparts. Because microgreens are rich in nutrients, smaller amounts may provide similar nutritional and biological effects to those of larger quantities of mature vegetables. However, literature on microgreens remains lacking. In this review, we discuss the chemical compositions, growing conditions and biological efficacies of microgreens. We seek to stimulate interest in the further study of microgreens as a promising dietary component for potential use in diet-based disease prevention. This review will allow basic and translational scientists to explore/study new plant-derived food and determine their health-promoting effects and mechanisms of action.

Technical Abstract: Chronic diseases are a major health problem in the United States. Accumulated data suggest that the consumption of vegetables can significantly reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Dietary guidelines from USDA in 2015-2020 recommend 1 to 4 cups of vegetables/day for males and 1 to 3 cups of vegetables/day for females depending on their ages. However, the average intake of vegetables are below recommended levels. Microgreens are young vegetable greens. Although their size is small, microgreens have delicate textures, distinctive flavors and various nutrients. In general, microgreens contain greater amounts of nutrients and health-promoting micronutrients than their mature counterparts. Because microgreens are rich in nutrients, smaller amounts may provide similar nutritional and biological effects to those of larger quantities of mature vegetables. However, literature on microgreens remain lacking. In this review, we discuss the chemical compositions, growing conditions and biological efficacies of microgreens. We seek to stimulate interest in the further study of microgreens as a promising dietary component for potential use in diet-based disease prevention.