Micro-Scale Vegetable Production: Sprouts and Microgreens as Innovative Functional Foods

In recent years, sprouts and microgreens have gained increasing popularity as novel plant specialties and new functional foods, due to their attractive colors, textures, and flavors. Sprouts, obtained from seed germination, consist of shoots and rootlets, and they have a very short growth cycle (2-7 days). Microgreens are young and tender seedlings harvested 7-21 days after sowing, without roots, and after the full expansion of cotyledon leaves and the appearance of the first true leaves. Significant physiological processes related to the seed reserves mobilization, such as the catabolism of lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins, are involved in the production of sprouts and microgreens. These processes not only provide energy for the development of seedlings but also produce food that is highly nutritious for human consumption. Both sprouts and microgreens have a unique taste and flavor and have antioxidant, antidiabetic, and anticancer properties. Microgreens have a higher content of phytochemicals and antioxidants than mature leaves. The relative amounts of phytochemicals found in sprouts and microgreens are affected by the plant species, the cultivation techniques, the environmental conditions, how they are stored, and how they are processed.

A wide range of species and cultivars can be grown as sprouts and microgreens and their physiology, production, sensory and functional quality can be modulated by species selection, fertilization, the growth stage at harvest, light intensity, and spectrum composition. Sprouts and microgreens can be grown in a very simple way and in very little space, for this reason, they are also suitable for cultivation in plant factories. Both sprouts and microgreens are very perishable and require appropriate post-harvest handling and storage. Nonetheless, there are several aspects of sprouts and microgreens that need to be further studied, such as their nutritional potential, variability, sensory profile, and safety. Furthermore, there is a need to further investigate, from a physiological point of view, how the nutritional composition of sprouts and microgreens can be affected by growing conditions, and how to mass produce them in an economically and environmentally sustainable way.

This Research Topic will focus on pre-harvest factors related to the production of sprouts and microgreens, such as the plant genotype, cultivation system used, plant nutrition, if they have been biofortified, the substrate used for cultivation and environmental conditions, and how these factors affect their phytochemical content, crop quality, health benefits to humans consuming and environmental sustainability. Papers dealing with the study of strategies to enhance the nutritional value of sprouts and microgreens by innovative agronomics methods will be considered. Studies need to investigate the physiological response (e.g. synthesis of
secondary metabolites, the activity of antioxidant enzymes, etc.) of sprouts and microgreens to different
cultivation strategies and conditions. This Research Topic welcomes submissions of original research articles, systematic reviews, reviews, mini reviews, and brief research reports.