Microgreen and Nutrition Research Articles

A compendium of research articles about microgreens, indoor growing, and nutrition

Each of these links brings you to a research article. If you have additional research that you would like to see included here, please reach out to our contact team.

This first research article is the one most quoted when talking about the nutrients found in microgreens: Wang and Xiao found that microgreens contain four to 40 times more nutrients than their mature counterparts

USDA article on minerals in microgreens

https://microveggy.com/health-benefits/

How do You Harvest Microgreens in Microgravity? -Nasa Research

Assessment of Vitamin and Carotenoid Concentrations of Emerging Food Products: Edible Microgreens 3

INSIGHTS INTO MICROGREENS PHYSIOLOGY

 The role of carotenoids in human health

The Role of Vitamin E in Human Health and Some Diseases

Broccoli Microgreens: A Mineral-Rich Crop That Can Diversify Food Systems

Microgreens of Brassicaceae: Mineral composition and content of 30 varieties

Comparison between the mineral profile and nitrate content of microgreens and mature lettuces

Natural phenolic compounds from medicinal herbs and dietary plants: potential use for cancer prevention

Amaranth sprouts and microgreens – a homestead vegetable production option to enhance food and nutrition security in the rural-urban continuum

Lipids and Cholesterol-Lowering Activity of Red Cabbage Microgreens

Evaluation of buckwheat sprouts as microgreens

Changes in phenols contents from buckwheat sprouts during growth stage

 J Agric Food Chem. Polyphenols in brassica microgreens  Author manuscript; available in PMC 2014 Nov 20.

Published in final edited form as: J Agric Food Chem. 2013 Nov 20; 61(46): 10960–10970. Published online 2013 Nov 5. doi: 10.1021/jf401802n

Microgreen and Dietary Research articles

Science confirms you really should eat your brassica

Which Minerals Are in Microgreens?

Researchers with the College of AGNR study nutrient-packed microgreens

Eating More Fruits and Veggies May Improve Your Memory—According to New Research (2022) Results suggest that dietary intakes of total flavonols and several flavonol constituents may be associated with slower decline in global cognition and multiple cognitive abilities with older age.

Functional Food Research

Bhaswant, M., Shanmugam, D. K., Miyazawa, T., Abe, C., & Miyazawa, T. (2023). Microgreens–A Comprehensive Review of Bioactive Molecules and Health Benefits. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 28(2), 867. DOI: 10.3390/molecules28020867, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36677933/.

Bouranis, J. A., Wong, C. P., Beaver, L. M., Uesugi, S. L., Papenhausen, E. M., Choi, J., Davis, E. W., Da Silva, A. N., Kalengamaliro, N., Chaudhary, R., Kharofa, J., Takiar, V., Herzog, T. J., Barrett, W., & Ho, E. (2023). Sulforaphane Bioavailability in Healthy Subjects Fed a Single Serving of Fresh Broccoli Microgreens. Foods, 12(20), 3784. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12203784.

Choe, U., Yu, L. L., & Wang, T. T. Y. (2018). The Science Behind Microgreens as an Exciting New Food for the 21st Century. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 66(44), 11519–11530. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.8b03096.

Kondratenko, E. P., Vityaz, S. N., Miroshina, T. A., & Kuznetsov, A. S. (2022). Microgreens – a biologically complete product of the XXI century. BIO Web of Conferences, 42, 01002. https://doi.org/10.1051/bioconf/20224201002.

Lenzi, Anna, et al. “Antioxidant and Mineral Composition of Three Wild Leafy Species: A Comparison between Microgreens and Baby Greens.” Foods, vol. 8, no. 10, 12 Oct. 2019, p. 487, https://doi.org/10.3390/foods8100487.

Marshall R, Nwabeke J, Haslund-Gourley BS, Huang C, Gaither T, Mishra V, Kim S, Xu H, Kean F, Rokni N, Gadegbeku A. Microgreens Nutrition Outreach: A Novel Tool for Community-Wide Dietary Disease Prevention. Transformative Medicine (T-Med). 2023; 2(4):88-97. doi: https://doi.org/10.54299/tmed/qein4935.

Mohamed, S. M., Abdel-Rahim, E. A., Tahany Aa Aly, Naguib, A. M., & Khattab, M. S. (2021). Barley microgreen incorporation in diet-controlled diabetes and counteracted aflatoxicosis in rats. Experimental Biology and Medicine, 247(5), 385–394. https://doi.org/10.1177/15353702211059765.

Newman, R. G., Moon, Y., Sams, C. E., Tou, J. C., & Waterland, N. L. (2021). Biofortification of Sodium Selenate Improves Dietary Mineral Contents and Antioxidant Capacity of Culinary Herb Microgreens. Frontiers in Plant Science, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.716437.

Rizvi, A., Sharma, M. & Saxena, S. Microgreens: A Next Generation Nutraceutical for Multiple Disease Management and Health Promotion. Genet Resour Crop Evol 70, 311–332 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-022-01506-3.

Teng, J., Liao, P., & Wang, M. (2021). The role of emerging micro-scale vegetables in human diet and health benefits—an updated review based on microgreens. Food & Function. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0fo03299a

Truzzi, Francesca, et al. “Microgreens: Functional Food with Antiproliferative Cancer Properties Influenced by Light.” Foods, vol. 10, no. 8, 22 July 2021, p. 1690, https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10081690.

Wojdyło, Aneta, et al. “Sprouts vs. Microgreens as Novel Functional Foods: Variation of Nutritional and Phytochemical Profiles and Their in Vitro Bioactive Properties.” Molecules, vol. 25, no. 20, 12 Oct. 2020, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7587365/, https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25204648.

Xiao, Zhenlei, et al. “Assessment of Vitamin and Carotenoid Concentrations of Emerging Food Products: Edible Microgreens.” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, vol. 60, no. 31, 30 July 2012, pp. 7644–7651, pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf300459b, https://doi.org/10.1021/jf300459b.

Zhang, Yanqi, et al. “Nutritional Quality and Health Benefits of Microgreens, a Crop of Modern Agriculture.” Journal of Future Foods, vol. 1, no. 1, Sept. 2021, pp. 58–66, DOI: 10.1016/j.jfutfo.2021.07.001/. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772566921000057.

Eat your microgreens

Minerals, Sustainability

Broccoli Microgreens: A Mineral-Rich Crop That Can Diversify Food Systems

Phytonutrients: Clinical Evidence of the Benefits of Phytonutrients in Human Healthcare 

Microgreens are considered super vegetables – includes video with researcher

Like fresh herbs? Try microgreen gardening

Drinking water with meals increases vegetable consumption. Research by T. Bettina Cornwell of the University of Oregon and Anna R. McAlister of Michigan State University.

Nutrition and Children

Ultra-processed food advertising that targets children in the United States

Children who eat more fruit and veggies have better mental health  Date: September 28, 2021 Source: University of East Anglia, UK

2% of teens eat enough vegetables, “Poor diet quality is a leading risk factor associated with death and disability in the United States.1,2 Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet can help protect against a number of serious and costly chronic diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and obesity”

 Food Marketing to Children and Youth – Free PDF download

Agriculture:

The following references were posted in NSF, referenced, and tagged on July 11, 2018.