Nutritional Profile of Leguminous Microgreens: Seed to Superfood
摘要
Leguminous microgreens, an emerging superfood which is developed from various commercial legume food crops, such as alfalfa, clover, lentil, chickpea, pea, mung bean, blackgram, cowpea, pigeon pea, fenugreek, horsegram etc. consist of developed cotyledons along with partially expanded true leaves and are harvested within 7–21 days based on legume crop. High levels of protein, carbohydrates, and dietary fibres along with secondary metabolites, including antioxidants, flavonoids, carotenoids, and chlorophyll concentration, have made legumes a high-energy food source on a global scale. Furthermore, compared to their mature counterparts, microgreens might have higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. These nutrient-dense microgreens are thought to be the “superfoods” of the future since they enhance palatability and address nutritional inadequacies. While a plethora of research has been published on the bioactive and antioxidant characteristics of cereals, relatively little is known about leguminous microgreens. These chapter, therefore mainly focuses on the nutritional aspect of leguminous microgeens as well as studying the nutritional value and phytochemicals present at various growth stages of leguminous microgreens and discover underutilized leguminous crops which have the potential to be the future crop for microgreens to combat the food and nutritional security along with the study of sensory and consumer acceptance of the leguminous microgeens.