Evaluation of growing conditions, organoleptic properties, antimicrobial activities and biochemical characterization of three culinary microgreens

Early seedling stages referred to as microgreens are recognized for having higher nutritional contents than their mature counterparts. In this study, three combinations of media under two different photoperiods were investigated to study the growth and yield parameters of beetroot, Indian mustard, and radish microgreens. Media combinations including cocopeat-sugarcane filter cake, cocopeat-vermicompost, and cocopeat-manure mixtures in 2:1 ratio were used for the cultivation of microgreens. The combination of cocopeat and vermicompost under 16/8 hours of photoperiod was found best in overall yield and other growth aspects of microgreens. The organoleptic assessment of the microgreens suggested that the freshness and other sensory attributes of the microgreens were retained for up to 7 days when stored in LDPE zip-lock bags at 4 °C. The shelf life of the beetroot, mustard, and radish microgreens were observed as 7.7 ± 0.1, 11.6 ± 0.3, and 13.1 ± 0.1 days respectively which were comparatively higher when stored in zip-lock bags than that of aluminum boxes at 4 °C. The antimicrobial attributes were also determined against various pathogenic bacterial strains. GC-MS analysis identified various phytochemicals, some of which are associated with antimicrobial activity. The study aimed to provide an optimized protocol to encourage microgreen cultivation both for domestic and commercial purposes. The outcome of the study recommends the augmentation of microgreens as superfoods into the global food system to ensure nutritional security.