What are main the differences between microgreens and the full-grown vegetables?

As we have all been taught when we were little, we should eat our greens. Most of the nutrients, needed for the well-being of our body are found in fruits and vegetables: such as vitamins, carotenoids, antioxidants, fibres and minerals.

So what about microgreens?

Don’t be fooled by their small size! Microgreens are highly intense in flavour and in nutrients that the concentration of nutrients inside microgreen leaves is highly superior from the concentration you can find in mature plant leaves. 25 different species of microgreens were analysed in this research and it was proven that in some cases you can find from 4 up to 40 times more vitamins or carotenoids in the microgreen leaves!

Below, you’ll find a small scheme that shows some examples of how microgreens compare to fully grown vegetables in terms of vitamins and carotenoids.

The researchers concluded that most of the microgreen species tested were excellent providers of vitamins and carotenoids, much more even than their mature counterparts. High variations exist between the species, so it’s almost as if each microgreen has its own speciality: in taste but also in nutrients! For example, red cabbage is extremely high in vitamin C and green daikon has an incredible amount of antioxidants. In any case, just a few grams of microgreens can already be enough to get your daily amount of nutrients.

More superpower

Another one of their super-powers is their wealth in minerals, mainly calcium (for cell physiology, bone and tooth growth) and potassium (crucial for neurons and muscles). These concentrations are highly linked to the nutrient solution that is used for the growing of microgreens. Having such an impact on the concentrations can be quite useful for people suffering from certain diseases such as impaired kidney function and cardiovascular disease.

How can we explain these differences in concentrations?

Microgreens are harvested at a very early stage compared to mature vegetables. The seeds, and the cotyledons which are coming from them, are really dense packages of nutrients. The cotyledons may contain the stored food reserves of the seed. These recently germinated seeds have all the nutrients that the small plants need to grow bigger, so you could say that microgreens actually are little nutrient explosions.

Good to know:  it’s better to eat your microgreens when freshly cut. They begin to lose their nutritional value after being harvested.

Also good to know: you can boost the availability of nutrients by using some extra-virgin oil with your microgreens

What is the difference between microgreens and sprouts?

It’s important not to confuse these two kinds of mini-vegetables. Although both are really tasty and full of nutrients, sprouts and microgreens really aren’t the same.

Sprouts are young wet seeds that start to grow, but don’t have developed leaves yet. The cultivation process is quite different between the two. Microgreens are grown in soil or a substrate (officially called “dry” cultivation) and get a lot of light, which is crucial for photosynthesis, that generates the chemical energy needed for the plant to grow and which increases its flavour. Sprouts are germinated in relatively warm and humid conditions, which is unfortunately also an ideal environment for all kinds of bacteria. This increases the risk of microbiological contamination in sprouts, which is not the case for microgreens.

Furthermore, when you are eating sprouts, you’re consuming all of it, even the small roots and the seed, which are said to be the main factors for microbiological contamination.. Whereas with microgreens you only eat the green: the part above the soil or substrate (stem and leaves).

Did you know: That is also why it is important to only use seeds that are treated especially for the cultivation of sprouts and microgreens