*Article not assigned to an issue yet
Ferreira Melvin Eggler, Henschel Juliane Maciel, Olivoto Tiago, Batista Diego Silva, Zeist André Ricardo
Keywords:
Emerging food, Microgreen, Seedlings, Scientometrics, Study trends
Microgreens are vegetables whose edible parts are harvested at the seedling stage. They are highly nutritious and widely used in sophisticated cuisines. They are considered an emerging food product that have been investigated in the scientific and commercial fields. Scientometrics can be used to study scientific literature in a quantitative manner, identifying emerging trends and the knowledge structure of a certain field of research. The objective of this study was to measure the status quo, identify trends in scientific literature, and define possibilities for research on microgreens using bibliometric analysis. For this, a descriptive analysis concerned with country ranking, document number, journals, and topics was made, as well as the generation of network connections of interactions between these factors. Through a search for scientific articles in the Scopus database and subsequent bibliometric analysis, it was determined that 60% of scientific publications on microgreens were concentrated between 2018 and 2021. The United States of America and Italy are the countries that utilize this term the most, with a high level of collaboration between them. Most studies have focused on aspects related to luminosity, growth, and quality in relation to nutritional characteristics, especially bioactive compounds. Even among the main articles cited, the majority of them explore these associated terms, demonstrating that researchers should explore current and future trends. Also, the exponential growth in the number of research on microgreens shows the growing prominence and scientific relevance of the topic.
(*Only SPR Members can get full access. Click Here to Apply and get access)
Aksnes DW, Langfeldt L, Wouters P (2019) Citations, citation indicators, and research quality: an overview of basic concepts and theories. Sage Open 9:2158244019829575. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244019829575
Amirbagheri K, Núñez-Carballosa A, Guitart-Tarrés L, Merigó JM (2019) Research on green supply chain: a bibliometric analysis. Clean Technol Environ Policy 21:3–22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-018-1624-1
Amitrano C, El Nakhel C, Rouphael Y, Paradiso R, Proietti S, Battistelli A, Caputo R, De Pascale S (2022) The analysis of morpho-functional and nutritional traits of microgreens to define growth requirements in space cultivation systems (no. EGU22-9974). https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-9974. Copernicus Meetings
Aria M, Cuccurullo C (2017) Bibliometrix: an R-tool for comprehensive science mapping analysis. J Informetr 11:959–975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2017.08.007
Beveridge WIB (2017) The art of scientific investigation. Edizioni Savine, New York
Brazaitytė A, Sakalauskienė S, Samuolienė et al (2015) The effects of LED illumination spectra and intensity on carotenoid content in Brassicaceae microgreens. Food Chem 173:600–606. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.10.077
de Castilhos Ghisi N, Zuanazzi NR, Fabrin TMC, Oliveira EC (2020) Glyphosate and its toxicology: a scientometric review. Sci Total Environ 733:139359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139359
Di Bitetti MS, Ferreras JA (2017) Publish (in English) or perish: the effect on citation rate of using languages other than English in scientific publications. Ambio 46:121–127. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-016-0820-7
Di Gioia F, Petropoulos SA, Ferreira ICFR, Rosskopf EN (2021) Microgreens: from trendy vegetables to functional food and potential nutrition security resource. Acta Hortic 1321:235–242. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2021.1321.31
Du M, Xiao Z, Luo Y (2022) Advances and emerging trends in cultivation substrates for growing sprouts and microgreens towards safe and sustainable agriculture. Curr Opin Food 100863. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cofs.2022.100863
Ebert AW (2022) Sprouts and Microgreens – Novel Food sources for healthy diets. Plants 11:571. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11040571
Hallett S (2016) Urban Agriculture as a Resiliency Strategy. In: Snyder EH, McIvor K, Brown S (eds) Sowing Seeds in the City: human dimensions. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 23–38
Kapusta-Duch J, Kopeć A, Piatkowska E, Borczak B, Leszczyńska T (2012) The beneficial effects of Brassica vegetables on human health. Rocz Panstw Zakl Hig 63:389–395
Kopsell DA, Sams CE (2013) Increases in shoot tissue pigments, glucosinolates, and mineral elements in sprouting broccoli after exposure to short-duration blue light from light emitting diodes. J Am Soc Hortic Sci 138:31–37. https://doi.org/10.21273/JASHS.138.1.31
Kopsell DA, Sams CE, Barickman TC, Morrow RC (2014) Sprouting broccoli accumulate higher concentrations of nutritionally important metabolites under narrow-band light-emitting diode lighting. J Am Soc Hortic 139:469–477. https://doi.org/10.21273/JASHS.139.4.469
Kyriacou MC, Youssef R, Di Gioia K (2016) Micro-scale vegetable production and the rise of microgreens. Trends Food Sci Technol 57:103–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2016.09.005
Kyriacou MC, De Pascale S, Kyratzis A, Rouphael Y (2017) Microgreens as a component of space life support systems: a cornucopia of functional food. Front Plant Sci 1587. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2017.01587
Kyriacou MC, El-Nakhel C, Graziani G et al (2019) Functional quality in novel food sources: genotypic variation in the nutritive and phytochemical composition of thirteen microgreens species. Food Chem 277:107–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.10.098
Lee JS, Pill WG, Cobb BB, Olszewski M (2004) Seed treatments to advance greenhouse establishment of beet and chard microgreens. J Hortic Sci Biotechnol 79:565–570. https://doi.org/10.1080/14620316.2004.11511806
Lee YM, Yoon Y, Yoon H, Park HM, Song S, Yeum KJ (2017) Dietary anthocyanins against obesity and inflammation. Nutrients 9:1089. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9101089
Lobiuc A, Vasilache V, Pintilie O et al (2017) Blue and red LED illumination improves growth and bioactive compounds contents in acyanic and cyanic Ocimum basilicum L. microgreens. Molecules 22:2111. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22122111
Mir SA, Shah MA, Mir MM (2017) Microgreens: production, shelf life, and bioactive components. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 57:2730–2736. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2016.1144557
Pinto E, Almeida AA, Aguiar AA, Ferreira IM (2015) Comparison between the mineral profile and nitrate content of microgreens and mature lettuces. J Food Compost Anal 37:38–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2014.06.018
Pranckutė R (2021) Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus: the titans of bibliographic information in today’s academic world. Publications 9:12. https://doi.org/10.3390/publications9010012
Raman CPGB, Lang M, Murugesan C, Murugan K (2013) Three-dimensional molecular structure prediction of selenocysenin methyltransferase (BoSMT) from Brassica oleracea. In: Lang M (ed) Brassicaceae characterization, functional genomics and health benefits. Nova Science Publishers Inc., New York, pp 149–169
Renna M, Di Gioia F, Leoni B, Mininni C, Santamaria P (2017) Culinary assessment of self-produced microgreens as basic ingredients in sweet and savory dishes. J Culin Sci Technol 15:126–142. https://doi.org/10.1080/15428052.2016.1225534
Renna M, Paradiso VM (2020) Ongoing research on microgreens: nutritional properties, shelf-life, sustainable production, innovative growing and processing approaches. Foods 9:826. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9060826
Samuolienė G, Brazaitytė A, Jankauskienė J et al (2013) LED irradiance level affects growth and nutritional quality of Brassica microgreens. Cent Eur J Biol 8:1241–1249. https://doi.org/10.2478/s11535-013-0246-1
Samuolienė G, Viršilė A, Brazaitytė A et al (2017) Blue light dosage affects carotenoids and tocopherols in microgreens. Food Chem 228:50–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.01.144
Sharma S, Shree B, Sharma D, Kumar S, Kumar V, Sharma R, Saini R (2022) Vegetable microgreens: the gleam of next generation super foods, their genetic enhancement, health benefits and processing approaches. Food Res Int 155:111038. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2022.111038
Sun J, Xiao Z, Lin LZ et al (2013) Profiling polyphenols in five Brassica species microgreens by UHPLC-PDA-ESI/HRMSn. J Agr Food Chem 61:10960–10970. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf401802n
Teodor RUSU, Moraru PI, Mintas OS (2021) Influence of environmental and nutritional factors on the development of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) microgreens grown in a hydroponic system: a review. Not Bot Horti Agrobot 49:12427–12427. https://doi.org/10.15835/nbha49312427
Teng J, Liao P, Wang M (2021) The role of emerging micro-scale vegetables in human diet and health benefits—An updated review based on microgreens. Food Funct 12:1914–1932. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0FO03299A
Verlinden S (2020) Microgreens: definitions, product types, and production practices. Hortic Rev 47:85–124. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119625407.CH3
Xiao Z, Lester GE, Luo Y, Wang Q (2012) Assessment of vitamin and carotenoid concentrations of emerging food products: edible microgreens. J Agr Food Chem 60:7644–7651. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf300459b
Zeb A, Liu W, Wu J, Lian J, Lian Y (2021) Knowledge domain and emerging trends in nanoparticles and plants interaction research: a scientometric analysis. NanoImpact 21:100278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.impact.2020.100278