Impact of growing conditions on proximate, mineral, phenolic composition, amino acid profile, and antioxidant properties of black gram, mung bean, and chickpea microgreens

In this study, proximate, minerals, chlorophyll, amino acids (AAs), phenolics, and antioxidant properties of black gram, mung bean, and chickpea microgreens grown under different conditions (soil, water, and coco-peat with nutrient solution [CNS])were investigated. The yield, moisture, ash content (AC), and protein content of microgreens extract powder (MEP) varied from 7.31%–11.09%, 5.63%–8.96%, 9.31%–13.63%, and 51.07%–60.41%, respectively. The total chlorophyll content (TCC), flavonoid content (TFC), phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant activity (TAA) ranged from 3.42–5.23 mg/g, 16.03–28.18 mg QE/g, 7.46–12.52 mg GAE/g, and 9.51–14.59 μmol TE/g, respectively. The phenolic acids (protocatechuic, p-coumaric, chlorogenic, caffeic, gallic, and ferulic acids) and flavonoids (epicatechin, catechin, rutin, quercetin, kaempferol, vitexin, and isovitexin) were more in soil-grown MEP while CNS grown had high AAs. MEP of soil-grown chickpea exhibited the highest AC, TCC, minerals (magnesium, potassium, and calcium), TPC, TFC, and TAA, while CNS-grown mung bean MEP had abundant AAs. Practical applications Variation in nutritional composition and antioxidant properties of mung bean, black gram, and chickpea microgreens grown using soil, water, and CNS were observed. Being rich in PC and AAs, the CNS-grown mung bean MEP can be incorporated into food products for protein enrichment. The soil-grown MEP of chickpea can be used to improve antioxidant and functional properties of food products as they had high TCC, TPC, TFC, TAA, and better phenolic profile.