Antioxidant and Mineral Composition of Three Wild Leafy Species: A Comparison Between Microgreens and Baby Greens

Abstract

Wild plants may play an important role in human nutrition and health and, among them, many are the leafy species. We hypothesized that the wild greens could be profitably grown as microgreens and baby greens, specialty products whose market is increasing. We compared three wild leafy species (Sanguisorba minor Scop., Sinapis arvensis L., and Taraxacum officinale Weber ex F. H. Wigg.) harvested at the microgreen and baby green stages. Seedlings were grown hydroponically in a half-strength Hoagland nutrient solution under controlled climatic conditions. At harvest, the yield was assessed, and chlorophylls, carotenoids, anthocyanins, phenolic index, nitrate, and mineral elements were measured in the two types of product. The potential contribution to human mineral intake was calculated, and the possible risk due to the presence of metals potentially detrimental for health was estimated. Results showed that micro/baby greens of the studied wild plants achieved competitive yields and could contribute to the dietary intake of macroelements, microelements, and non-nutrient bioactive compounds. On the other hand, the wild greens showed high amounts of nitrate and traces of some metals potentially detrimental for health, suggesting the need for caution in the use of wild species for producing microgreens and baby leaves.

Phenolic Constitution, Phytochemical and Macronutrient Content in Three Species of Microgreens as Modulated by Natural Fiber and Synthetic Substrates

“…Therefore, searching for nutrient-dense vegetables through the manipulation of phytochemicals by environmental (air temperature, light quality, intensity and photoperiod) and innovative crop management practices (growing media, nutrition and biofortification) represents a promising and balanced approach between safety, cost and effectiveness [2,3]. Microgreens (i.e., edible seedlings of herbs, grains and vegetables), also known as vegetable confetti, are an emerging class of specialty crop that have gained increasing popularity among consumers, urban farmers, food technologists and nutritionists due to their fortified phytochemical composition, accumulated in the two fully developed cotyledons and the first true leaves, compared to their mature counterparts [4][5][6][7][8][9]. In addition to their potential nutritional and functional benefits, microgreens production presents the following advantages: (i) short cultivation cycle, (ii) all-year round production, (iii), ease of cultivation, (iv) suitability for indoor farming technology, (v) high potential returns/profitability for producers with an estimated value of 30-50 $ per pound and (vi) higher sustainability compared to growing mature herbs and vegetables, offering a small footprint in terms of space, water and fertilizers [8,10,11].…”

Bioactive properties of Sanguisorba minor L. cultivated in central Greece under different fertilization regimes

“…The most common limitation for applying commercial cultivation practices to wild plants is associated with difficulties in plant propagation, although this problem does not exist in S. minor, since the species is easily sexually propagated with seeds. In particular, De Lillis, Manes, and Tufaro (2005) observed that seeds presented high germination rates (89%) while Lenzi, Orlandini, Bulgari, Ferrante, and Bruschi (2019) reported slightly lower germination rates (75.5%), a difference which could be attributed to different germination conditions (air temperature, photoperiod and relative humidity) (Azimi, Heshmati, Kianian, & Jafari, 2016). Apart from growing conditions, sowing depth is critical to achieve high seedling emergence as reported by Burmeier, Donath, Otte, and Eckstein (2010).…”

“…They suggested that the use of commercially available plant growth substrates (peat and/or perlite) may increase the content of bioactive compounds and the functional properties of the species. Lenzi et al (2019) also reported that S. minor is a promising species for the production of micro/baby greens for dietary purposes although specific attention should be given to cultivation conditions since they might induce a reduction of antinutritional factors (e.g. high nitrates and heavy metals content).…”

Ongoing Research on Microgreens: Nutritional Properties, Shelf-Life, Sustainable Production, Innovative Growing and Processing Approaches

“…"Microgreens" is a marketing term used to describe young and tender edible seedlings harvested when the cotyledonary leaves have fully developed and the first true leaves emerge. This category of vegetables presents different traits as compared to the already known sprouts and the common baby leaf vegetables [1,2].…”

“…The second contribution regards the "Antioxidant and Mineral Composition of Three Wild Leafy Species: A Comparison Between Microgreens and Baby Greens" by Anna Lenzi, Alessandro Orlandini, Roberta Bulgari, Antonio Ferrante and Piero Bruschi [2]. In this study, the authors compared three wild leafy species (Sanguisorba minor Scop., Sinapis arvensis L., and Taraxacum officinale Weber ex F. H.…”