Title : Developing innovative soil-less microgreens cultivation
Abstract:
Food security is a global concern that refers to the availability, accessibility, and stability of safe and nutritious food. To address the need for a reliable, fresh, nutrient-rich and healthy diet, it offers growing microgreens. Microgreens (young seedlings) are edible seedlings of vegetables and herbs consumed as salad, soups, and sandwiches. Eating microgreens has high nutritional values with health benefits. These tiny, nutrient-packed greens are getting popularly used as food dishes to enhance the flavour, texture and colour of our food. Addition to their texture, color, taste, aroma, and visual appeal of several food dishes in restaurant industry and have been promoted as healthy food diet.
Growing microgreens is simple, quick, and easy to grow. Microgreen has a shorter time to harvest and high market values. It can be harvested for eating in 10-14 days depending on the selected seed variety. Microgreens are cultured in substrate media. Microgreens can be grown as part of soilless urban farming to produce reliable and nutritious organic food whilst utilizing unused urban spaces. Microgreens can be grown at different types of seed germination, with choices of growing media in soil-less method.
Microgreens has higher concentration of macro- and micro- nutrients and phytochemical content. The production cost for growing microgreens is minimal, no requirement of specific technical skills and can harvest in a shorter time. Being rich in nutrients and having a short growth cycle, sprouts and microgreens are regarded as microscale vegetables that become ideal for urban indoor farming. It could be an alternative solution of food security to lead sustainability.
