Productive and Morphometric Traits, Mineral Composition and Secondary Metabolome Components of Borage and Purslane as Underutilized Species for Microgreens Production

Abstract

Neglected and underutilized species (NUS) offer largely unexplored opportunities for providing nutritious plant food, while making agro-ecosystems more diverse and resilient to climate change. The aim of this work was to explore the potential of two typical Mediterranean underutilized species, purslane and borage, as novel vegetable product (microgreens). Micro-scale production of edible plants is spreading due to the simplicity of their management, rapid cycle, harvest index, and phytochemical value of the edible product. Microgreens, therefore, represent an opportunity to link NUS, nutrition, and agricultural and dietary diversification. By analyzing yield, antioxidants activities, mineral composition, and main phenolic acids and flavonoids, our work indicated that the two species provide interesting results when compared with those reported for crops and horticultural species. Specifically, purslane should be considered highly nutritional due to the amount of phenolic compounds and ascorbic acid, and to potential good β-carotene bioavailability. Borage microgreens have a very high fresh yield and a more composite and balanced phenolic profile. In conclusion, our work provided evidence for implementing new ways to expand the NUS market-chains and for developing added-value food products.

Effects of NaCl and CaCl2 as Eustress Factors on Growth, Yield, and Mineral Composition of Hydroponically Grown Valerianella locusta

“…In the last decade, the share market of minimally processed vegetables has increased significantly, placing them among the fastest-growing consumed foods worldwide [ 1 ]. Consumers have emphasized the need for higher quality and tastier ready-to-eat vegetables in their effort to diversify a monotonous diet and consume healthier foods [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Ready-to-eat vegetables are becoming more and more common thanks to the advantages they provide to the end-user, such as reducing the preparation time and on-site waste [ 5 ].…”

The Inclusion of Green Light in a Red and Blue Light Background Impact the Growth and Functional Quality of Vegetable and Flower Microgreen Species

“…As concerns the cultivation techniques, microgreens offer wide opportunities in choosing the scale of production, ranging from household level (micro-scale) where microgreens can be grown by individuals for domestic consumption to more commercialized agriculture (large scale) adopting hydroponic growing systems using different soilless growing media [10,11]. Microgreens are very suited for indoor production using artificial lighting and with the development of the urban farming production facilities and the rise of vertical farming systems, there is an increasing interest among commercial growers to produce microgreens using soilless media in hydroponic systems [12][13][14][15][16][17].…”

Biostimulatory Action of Vegetal Protein Hydrolysate Compensates for Reduced Strength Nutrient Supply in a Floating Raft System by Enhancing Performance and Qualitative Features of “Genovese” Basil

“…Polyphenolic compounds were extracted as described by Corrado et al (2021) . Briefly, 0.1 g of finely ground and freeze-dried leaves was extracted in 5 ml of an aqueous methanol solution (60:40, v/v ).…”