Food Quality Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD, 20705, U.S.A.
Environmental Microbiology and Food Safety Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD, 20705, U.S.A.
J Food Sci. 2020 Apr;85(4):870-882. doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.15049. Epub 2020 Mar 6.
Microgreens have gained increasing popularity as food ingredients in recent years because of their high nutritional value and diverse sensorial characteristics. Microgreens are edible seedlings including vegetables and herbs, which have been used, primarily in the restaurant industry, to embellish cuisine since 1996. The rapidly growing microgreen industry faces many challenges. Microgreens share many characteristics with sprouts, and while they have not been associated with any foodborne illness outbreaks, they have recently been the subject of seven recalls. Thus, the potential to carry foodborne pathogens is there, and steps can and should be taken during production to reduce the likelihood of such incidents. One major limitation to the growth of the microgreen industry is the rapid quality deterioration that occurs soon after harvest, which keeps prices high and restricts commerce to local sales. Once harvested, microgreens easily dehydrate, wilt, decay and rapidly lose certain nutrients. Research has explored preharvest and postharvest interventions, such as calcium treatments, modified atmopsphere packaging, temperature control, and light, to maintain quality, augment nutritional value, and extend shelf life. However, more work is needed to optimize both production and storage conditions to improve the safety, quality, and shelf life of microgreens, thereby expanding potential markets.
近年来，由于其高营养价值和多样化的感官特性，微绿体作为食品成分越来越受欢迎。微绿体是可食用的幼苗，包括蔬菜和香草，自 1996 年以来，主要用于餐饮业来美化菜肴。快速发展的微绿体产业面临许多挑战。微绿体与豆芽有许多共同的特点，尽管它们与任何食源性疾病爆发都没有关联，但最近已经有 7 次召回事件与它们有关。因此，存在携带食源性病原体的可能性，在生产过程中可以并且应该采取措施降低此类事件发生的可能性。微绿体产业发展的一个主要限制是收获后很快发生的质量迅速恶化，这使得价格居高不下，限制了商业活动仅限于本地销售。收获后，微绿体很容易脱水、枯萎、腐烂，并且某些营养物质迅速流失。研究已经探索了收获前和收获后的干预措施，如钙处理、改良的气氛包装、温度控制和光照，以保持质量、增加营养价值和延长保质期。然而，需要做更多的工作来优化生产和储存条件，以提高微绿体的安全性、质量和保质期，从而扩大潜在市场。
