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Research Article | DOI: https://doi.org/10.31579/2637-8914/134
Coudrin House 27 Northbrook Road Ireland.
*Corresponding Author: Asomiba Rita Abaajeh, Coudrin House 27 Northbrook Road Ireland.
Citation: Asomiba R. Abaajeh., (2023), A Review of the Global Microgreens’ Market by most popular Species Grown, Farming Types and Practices, end users, Revenue Generated: Opportunity Analysis, and Industry Forecast. J. Nutrition and Food Processing, 6(2); DOI:10.31579/2637-8914/134
Copyright: © 2023 Asomiba Rita Abaajeh, This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Received: 21 March 2023 | Accepted: 03 April 2023 | Published: 10 April 2023
Keywords: alcoholic liver injury; α-pinene; antioxidation; autophagy; inflammatory
Background: Alcoholic liver damage is caused by long-term and heavy alcohol consumption, which leads to many diseases and even cancer. α-Pinene has been shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, however, it is still unclear the relationship between α-Pinene and alcohol-induced liver injury. The potential molecular mechanisms of α-pinene in reducing alcohol-induced liver injury in mice were investigated in this study.
Materials and methods: The C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into five groups, which were the control groups (physiological saline, 0.2mL per days), alcohol group (50% alcohol, 5 mL/kg bw/day), alcohol with low/medium/high dosage α-pinene treatment group ((7.2 mg/kg bw, 14.4 mg/kg bw, 28.8 mg/kg bw, dissolved in 50% alcohol, Separately). The dosing method for mice is via oral gavage. After 8 weeks of experimentation, mouse serum and liver were collected for further testing.
Result: The increased antioxidant enzyme activities demonstrated the alleviated effect of α-pinene against alcohol-induced mouse liver injury. Moreover, in liver tissues, α-pinene promoted nucleus translocation of nuclear factor-erythroid-2-related factor 2 (NRF2) and transcription of antioxidant target genes, including heme oxygenase 1 (HMOX-1 / HO-1), NAD[P]H quinone dehydrogenase 1 (NQO-1), and glutathione S-transferase alpha 1 (Gsta-1). Meanwhile, α-pinene promoted the protein expression of autophagy-related proteins and inhibited the increase of inflammatory factors caused by chronic alcohol intake. Furthermore, α-pinene partially inhibited the activation of apoptotic signaling pathways by increasing the expression of Bcl-2 and decreasing Bax and cleaved caspase-3 proteins.
Conclusion: Taken together, our results indicated that α-pinene might alleviate alcoholic liver injury by reducing lipid accumulation, enhancing anti-oxidative stress and anti-inflammatory, activating autophagy, and inhibiting cell apoptosis.
Microgreens are a new type of edible seedlings that are grown from the seeds of various herb, vegetable, and wild species (Di Gioia et al., 2015a). They represent potential regenerative functional foods that can enhance general health through dietary augmentation (Sharma et al., 2022). They are characterised by delicate distinctive flavors, high levels of different nutrients, and more health benefits than some of their mature counterparts. Di Gioia et al. (2015): Sharma et al. (2022). The cotyledonary leaves and stems of microgreens are typically harvested 7 to 21 days after germination, with or without the appearance of a small pair of genuine leaves (Treadwell et al., 2010; Xiao et al., 2012). They are also becoming more often used by chefs as an edible garnish. Microgreens are growing in popularity due to their high bioactive chemical concentration (Treadwell et al., 2010; Xiao et al., 2012). In addition, interest in their commercial production is rising as the urban agricultural sector develops (Di Gioia et al., 2015b).
Microgreens can be cultivated in soil or, more frequently, in soil-less systems (Di Gioia, et al., 2015c; Murphy et al., 2010) using organic or inorganic solid growing media or hydroponics, as well as in greenhouses or vertical farms with artificial light sources (Choi et al., 2015). Microgreens have a short production cycle, but they still need special care, and one of the most important steps in the process is choosing the right growing medium (Di Gioia, et al., 2015c). The manufacturing process’s environmental sustainability, as well as the yield and quality of the microgreens, are both significantly influenced by the growing medium, which is one of the primary production costs (Di Gioia, et al., 2015c).
The optimal growing medium should be easily accessible, reasonably priced, made from renewable resources, have a suitable capacity to hold water (55–70% of the total volume), and enable adequate aeration [(20–30% of the total volume) Murphy et al., 2010]. It must be microbiologically safe, have a pH of between 5.5 and 6.5, and have an electrical conductivity of less than 0.5 dS m-1 (Di Gioia, et al., 2015c). Evidently, the growing medium, seed quality, and growing environment parameters have a significant impact on the yield and quality of microgreens, particularly their microbiological quality (Di Gioia, et al., 2016).
According to market research by Allied Market Research published in 2022, the most popular species are broccoli and arugula, both of which belong to the brassica family and are stuffed with lots of bioactive chemicals that promote good health.
Main text
Microgreens are edible vegetable seedlings that are one to three inches tall at the time of the first two leaves' emergence (Treadwell et al., 2010; Xiao et al., 2012). Depending on the species, plants are harvested 7–21 days after germination, and they are frequently referred to as "vegetable confetti (Di Gioia et al., 2015a; Sharma et al., 2022)." They contain higher levels of numerous health-promoting minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants than some of their more developed counterpart (Sharma et al., 2022). The risk of xenobiotics pollution in microgreens in minimal considering that little or no fertilisers are used in their production. More so, when consumed, microgreens are packed with antioxidant that metabolize xenobiotics in human (Ali & Alsayeqh, 2022). The global market for microgreens is being driven by factors like increased spending on nutrient-dense meals and the rising adoption of indoor vertical and greenhouse farming (Allied Market Research, 2022). The Allied Market Research 2022 also noted that since microgreens require a lot of care and a controlled environment, they are typically grown inside greenhouses and vertical farms. It is also projected that growth in the cosmetics and personal care industry would further boost the product market because microgreens-based oils and components are highly sought after to produce consumer goods like shampoo and skin care products (Allied Market Research, 2022).
Market size
The global microgreens market has experienced rapid expansion due to changes in lifestyle, the health advantages of microgreens, and an increase in the popularity of rooftop and windowsill gardens (Allied Market Research, 2022). Furthermore, the Covid-19 pandemic changed people's perspectives on their food-buying behaviors, and microgreens provide a sustainable alternative. Microgreen demand was boosted by the pandemic's rise in health consciousness among individuals. The world is slowly recovering from the pandemic, and the need for microgreens is anticipated to increase soon (Allied Market Research, 2022). Even though the pandemic slowed down the markets in 2019 due to the closure of major restaurants, the demand is projected to increase drastically by 2030as predicted in the Allied market research published in 2022.
According to a study by Raju Kale and Roshan Deshmukh, published in the May 2022 issue of Allied Market Research, the global microgreens market generated $1.3 billion in revenue in 2019 and is anticipated to grow by 11.1
Conclusion and suggestions
Generally, the growing conditions reported are generic. Microgreens are mostly grown at a temperature of between18 to 24°C and relative humidity (RH) of between 40 to 60% (Misra & Gibson 2021). In this study, carried out on farms that started before 2010 (75%) and farms that started after 2021, Sunflower (28%), peas (27%), and radish (29%) were the most popular microgreen varieties produced (Misra & Gibson 2021). These farms primarily grow microgreens using peat (17.6%), coco coir (14.2%), or soil (15.3%), with the most used additives being perlite (31%) and vermiculite (19.3%).
Microgreens can be watered with underground or overhead spray irrigation (Misra & Kristen, 2021). Further, Işk et al. (2019); Xiao et al. (2014) in their studies to determine whether watering strategy may affect pathogen dispersal in microgreens reported that there were no significant changes in the transfer of pathogens such as Escherichia coli O157:H7 to microgreens through the two watering strategies mentioned above in the production of microgreens. The range of the average relative humidity in the microgreen production systems examined here was 50 to 65%. Relative humidity, on the other hand, is typically close to 70% in sprouted seed production conditions (Xiao et al., 2014), which may promote the growth of microorganisms when pathogens are present.
like sprouts, they are harvested at a young age after germinating in a warm, moist environment (Kyriacou et al., 2016; Xiao et al., 2014). These characteristics of microgreens make them a useful crop for studying food safety ((Kyriacou et al., 2016). Although there are no known outbreaks associated with microgreens yet, there have been multiple products recalls related to contamination with Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica and Listeria monocytogenes since 2016 in the United States (U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 2016; 2019) and Canada Canadian Food Inspection Agency. (2018; 2020). This recent trend highlights an urgent need to examine the potential risk factors within microgreen growing operations that may render these products susceptible to contamination and possible foodborne pathogen transmission as the industry grows (Olaimat et al., 2012). 3. However, microgreens may need to be checked for gram negative bacteria contamination that may generate the very toxic bacterial lipopolysaccharides [LPS (Martins, 2018; Ali & Alsayeqh, 2022)].
The evaluation of environmental factors for yield improvement and reduction of the pathogenic microbial load for specific species has been under-looked. However, the effect of light quantity on the yield and nutrient content of brassicas has been reported by Samuoliené et al. (2013) who recorded optimum growth, yield, and nutritional quality of brassica at 320-440 μmol cm -2 s-1. In the case of 545 μmol cm -2s -1 light intensities. Another study by Kamal et al. (2020) indicated that supplemental lighting with green LEDs (R70: G10: B20) enhanced vegetative growth and morphology, while blue LEDs (R20:B80) increased the mineral and vitamin contents in five brassica species including broccoli. In a more recent study, two brassica species' dry and fresh weight was maximized with a 14-h·d−1 photoperiod. The chlorophyll, carotenoid, and soluble protein content were highest for a 16-h·d−1 photoperiod (Lui et al., 2022).
But other abiotic factors surrounding the production of microgreens need attention to produce high-quality microgreens. For instance, the effect of photoperiod on microgreen growth, irrigation regime, growing media, Temperature, etc for the growth and yield of microgreens, specifically broccoli and arugula has received little attention. Furthermore, there is no literature on the sensitization of the public to the health benefits of microgreens. If the public becomes more aware of the benefits of consuming microgreens, the microgreens global market will expand further than predicted in 2028. We, therefore, propose a public awareness campaign on the benefits of consuming microgreens as well as the safety precautions to consider. We also propose a comprehensive study to assess the microbial load of the popularly used growing media for these species as well as that of their seed; and establish the optimum growing conditions for each species, especially the most popular (broccoli and arugula) such that would increase yield and reduce microbial contamination of microgreens.
Availability of data and materials – not applicable
University College Dublin (UCD) foundation for fees payment
corresponding author contributed to 100% of the manuscript preparation
A special thank you to DR. Suinyuiy Terence for his mentorship.
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