Postharvest biology, quality and shelf life of buckwheat microgreens

Microgreen nutrition, food safety, and shelf life: A review

“…Depending on cultivar and storage conditions, quality may be maintained for over 14 days. There are no food code requirements for microgreens, but preliminary studies suggest that microgreens should be stored at temperature's of ≤5 °C (Kou et al., ; Xiao et al., ). Microgreens resistant to chilling injury can be held as low as 1 °C (Berba & Uchanski, ).…”

“…However, some commodities are sensitive to cold temperatures and experience tissue damage, increased respiration rate, and more rapid senescence if their lower temperature limit is surpassed. For example, buckwheat microgreens had lowest electrolyte leakage at 10 °C during the second week of storage, while samples stored at 1 °C had an increase in electrolyte leakage at the end of storage that corresponded to increases in aerobic mesophilic bacteria (Kou et al., ). Chilling sensitivity, while genetic, is affected by other factors including growth stage and package atmosphere composition (Kyriacou et al., ).…”

“…One major limitation to the growth of the microgreen industry is rapid quality deterioration postharvest. Microgreens are difficult to store, due to their high surface area to volume ratio, high respiration rate, and delicate leaves that easily wilt, and rapid postharvest decay transpiration, leakage of nutrient rich exudates, tissue damage, and early senescence (Berba & Uchanski, ; Chandra, Kim, & Kim, ; Kou et al., ). Some growers sell microgreens as a “living product” so that the customer harvests and washes them as they are needed to serve the freshest quality.…”

The effects of LED illumination spectra and intensity on carotenoid content in Brassicaceae microgreens

“…Microgreens are seedlings of vegetables and herbs that are grown to the fully-opened-cotyledon or first-true-leaf stages. According to the literature, they contain much higher levels of bioactive compounds than mature plants or seeds and belong to the group of ''functional foods'', which have health-promoting or diseasepreventing properties (Kou et al, 2013;Xiao, Leste, Luo, & Wang, 2012). They can be cultivated in fields and controlled environments under artificial light (Samuolienė , Brazaitytė , et al, 2012;Treadwell, Hochmuth, Landrum, & Laughlin, 2010;Xiao et al, 2012).…”

Metabolomic Assessment Reveals an Elevated Level of Glucosinolate Content in CaCl2 Treated Broccoli Microgreens

“…8−10 However, the low yield and the short shelf life of microgreens are limiting factors for the industry. 11,12 Calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ) is proving to have a significant impact on the shelf life of various vegetables with the benefits of delaying aging or ripening, reducing postharvest decay, and improving the nutritional value. Calcium ions make cell walls less accessible to enzymes that cause softening or to cell wall degrading enzymes produced by fungal pathogens.…”