Nutritional and Functional Composition of Microgreens: A Comparison of Various Species

Abstract

The objective of this work is to evaluate the nutritional and functional composition of microgreens of different species. Beet, pea, adzuki bean, popcorn, onion, and carrot were studied. The nutritional composition was determined according to the AOAC. The content of total phenolic compounds, flavonoids, chlorophylls, total carotenoids, and the in vitro antioxidant activity were evaluated by spectrophotometry. The results show that the aduki bean showed the highest levels of chlorophylls and carotenoids. For total phenolic compounds and flavonoids, onion and carrot micro vegetables had the highest content of these bioactive compounds that also showed the highest antioxidant activity. The results obtained show that micro vegetables are an excellent alternative to fresh foods, providing the scope and importance for the introduction of these vegetables into the diet, as they, sometimes, require long production cycles and more resources or are not usually accepted by consumers.