Assessment of Vitamin and Carotenoid Concentrations in Microgreens

Introduction: Microgreens, the tiny seedlings of vegetables and herbs, have become a trendy addition to culinary dishes in recent years. Despite their small size, microgreens pack a punch with intense flavours, vibrant colours, and crunchy textures, making them ideal as edible garnishes or new salad ingredients. However, there's a lack of scientific data on their nutritional content.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the levels of important nutrients like ascorbic acid (vitamin C), carotenoids, phylloquinone (vitamin K), and tocopherols (vitamin E) in 25 different commercially available microgreens.

Key Findings:

• Microgreens showed significant variations in their vitamin and carotenoid concentrations.

• Ascorbic acid content ranged from 20.4 to 147.0 mg per 100 g of fresh weight (FW).

• β-carotene, lutein/zeaxanthin, and violaxanthin concentrations varied widely, ranging from 0.6 to 12.1, 1.3 to 10.1, and 0.9 to 7.7 mg/100 g FW, respectively.

• Phylloquinone levels ranged from 0.6 to 4.1 μg/g FW.

• α-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol levels ranged from 4.9 to 87.4 and 3.0 to 39.4 mg/100 g FW, respectively.

Top Performers:

• Red cabbage, cilantro (coriander), garnet amaranth, and green daikon radish stood out with the highest concentrations of ascorbic acids, carotenoids, phylloquinone, and tocopherols, respectively.

Comparison:

• Microgreen cotyledon leaves were found to have higher nutritional densities compared to mature leaves, according to data from the USDA National Nutrient Database.

Implications:

• These findings offer valuable insights into the nutritional values of microgreens, contributing to food composition databases.

• Health agencies can use this data to make recommendations, and consumers can make informed choices about incorporating fresh vegetables into their diets.

The full publication can be found here https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jf300459b

including details on the methodology and specific mineral concentrations.

DISCLAIMER - this information relates to Microgreens in a general sense and may not be specific to our product. As you explore content online, we encourage you to be inquisitive and verify the details on your own.