Edible Plant Sprouts: Health Benefits, Trends, and Opportunities for Novel Exploration

Abstract

The consumption of plant sprouts as part of human day-to-day diets is gradually increasing, and their health benefit is attracting interest across multiple disciplines. The purpose of this review was to (a) critically evaluate the phytochemicals in selected sprouts (alfalfa, buckwheat, broccoli, and red cabbage), (b) describe the health benefits of sprouts, (c) assess the recent advances in sprout production, (d) rigorously evaluate their safety, and (e) suggest directions that merit special consideration for further novel research on sprouts. Young shoots are characterized by high levels of health-benefitting phytochemicals. Their utility as functional ingredients have been extensively described. Tremendous advances in the production and safety of sprouts have been made over the recent past and numerous reports have appeared in mainstream scientific journals describing their nutritional and medicinal properties. However, subjects such as application of sprouted seed flours in processed products, utilizing sprouts as leads in the synthesis of nanoparticles, and assessing the dynamics of a relationship between sprouts and gut health require special attention for future clinical exploration. Sprouting is an effective strategy allowing manipulation of phytochemicals in seeds to improve their health benefits.

Determination of Essential Minerals and Trace Elements in Edible Sprouts from Different Botanical Families—Application of Chemometric Analysis

“…Growing sprouts is a cheap and easy process that does not require sophisticated equipment and that provides high yields. All of these features make sprouts from different botanic families alternative sources of phytoconstituents and minerals, important for human health [3,[15][16][17][18]. Moreover, sprouts can be grown all year round, at home, and they reach maturity in most cases within 5 to 14 days, depending on the crop nature and botanical origin [16].…”

Microbiological Assessment of Wheat and Buckwheat Sprouting Process

“…Поэтому актуальным является проведение исследований по изучению влияния условий проращивания на изменение микрофлоры как фактора безопасности пищевых продуктов из пророщенного зерна. Учеными разных стран подробно изучено влияние микробной активности на аспекты микробиологической безопасности и качества зерна [2][3][4][5]. Микрофлора зерна сосредоточена во внешних слоях зерна и внутри зародыша [6,7].…”

Consumption of Sprouts and Perceptions of Their Health Properties in a Region of Northwestern Mexico

“…Sprouted seeds have long been consumed in oriental countries and form an important part of their culinary history. Given their rich flavour, smell and bioactive compounds, these products can be used to prepare salads or other high-quality foods, and positive perceptions of these products have influenced the development of foods such as breakfast cereals, snacks and baked goods [ 5 ]. However, although there are new options for the consumption of sprouts and a large proportion of the population prefers healthy foods and is inclined to consume them, several studies have reported that the selection and perception of healthy foods could be related to several sociodemographic characteristics of the population [ 6 ].…”