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

Dear Colleagues,

“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 (usually 7–21 days after germination). This category of vegetables presents different traits as compared to the already known sprouts and the common baby leaf vegetables. Microgreens are gaining increasing interest as potential functional foods, due to their relevant contents of micronutrients and bioactive compounds. They are gaining popularity also due to their varying and attractive colors, textures, and flavors. The wide number of species and cultivars that can be grown as microgreens, as well as the possibility to control their growing conditions even in micro-scale production underlie their promising potential for tailored nutrition as well as to address particularly demanding categories of consumers, such as vegans of raw-foodists. At the same time, microgreens can be grown in a very simple way, even in very little spaces, being suitable for urban agriculture, as well as a component of space life support systems. Nevertheless, several research themes need to be explored, e.g., nutritional potential and variability; effects of growing conditions on their nutritional profile; packaging and shelf-life of microgreens marketed on their own growing substrate; nutrient bioaccessibility and bioavailability; sensory profiling; environmental and sustainability issues of microgreens production; and microgreens safety. This Special Issue intends to cover the state-of-the-art, recent progress and perspectives related to production, post-harvest, characterization, and potential of microgreens. All types of manuscripts (original research, reviews, short communications, letters to editor, and discussions) are welcome.

Dr. Vito Michele Paradiso
Dr. Massimiliano Renna
Guest Editors

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