The Nutritional Quality Potential of Microgreens, Baby Leaves, and Adult Lettuce: An Underexploited Nutraceutical Source

Interest in the cultivation of lettuce landraces is increasing because native varieties, as high-quality products, are particularly attractive to consumers. Lettuce is a popular leafy vegetable worldwide, and interest in the consumption of first leaves (microgreens) and seedlings (baby leaves) has g...

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Autores principales: Martínez-Ispizua, Eva, Calatayud, Ángeles, Marsal, José I., Cannata, Claudio, Basile, Federico, Abdelkhalik, Abdelsattar, Soler, Salvador, Valcárcel, José Vicente, Martínez-Cuenca, Mary-Rus
Formato: article
Lenguaje:Español
Publicado: MDPI 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/7898
https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/11/3/423
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author Martínez-Ispizua, Eva
Calatayud, Ángeles
Marsal, José I.
Cannata, Claudio
Basile, Federico
Abdelkhalik, Abdelsattar
Soler, Salvador
Valcárcel, José Vicente
Martínez-Cuenca, Mary-Rus
author_browse Abdelkhalik, Abdelsattar
Basile, Federico
Calatayud, Ángeles
Cannata, Claudio
Marsal, José I.
Martínez-Cuenca, Mary-Rus
Martínez-Ispizua, Eva
Soler, Salvador
Valcárcel, José Vicente
author_facet Martínez-Ispizua, Eva
Calatayud, Ángeles
Marsal, José I.
Cannata, Claudio
Basile, Federico
Abdelkhalik, Abdelsattar
Soler, Salvador
Valcárcel, José Vicente
Martínez-Cuenca, Mary-Rus
author_sort Martínez-Ispizua, Eva
collection ReDivia
description Interest in the cultivation of lettuce landraces is increasing because native varieties, as high-quality products, are particularly attractive to consumers. Lettuce is a popular leafy vegetable worldwide, and interest in the consumption of first leaves (microgreens) and seedlings (baby leaves) has grown due to the general belief that young plants offer higher nutritional value. The content of some bioactive compounds and antioxidants (chlorophylls, carotenoids, anthocyanins, ascorbic acid, phenols, antioxidant activity) was monitored in six lettuce landraces and five commercial varieties, and compared across three development stages: microgreen, baby, and adult. Ascorbic acid and phenolic contents were 42% and 79% higher, respectively, in the early stages than in adult lettuces, and red-leaf varieties (CL4 and L11) stood out. This finding agrees with lettuce’s marked antioxidant capacity and correlates with its pigment contents, especially anthocyanins. The nutritional value of adult lettuce is conditioned by its size, shape, and head structure as phytochemical concentrations are regulated by light. The low content of ascorbic acid, phenolics, and anthocyanins in crisphead lettuce (CL5) is a clear example (49, 67%, and 27% lower, respectively, than the adult mean). Our results indicate the wide variability of lettuces’ nutritional characteristics and emphasize that traditional varieties are a helpful source of agricultural biodiversity.
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institution Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA)
language Español
publishDate 2022
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spelling ReDivia78982025-04-25T14:48:39Z The Nutritional Quality Potential of Microgreens, Baby Leaves, and Adult Lettuce: An Underexploited Nutraceutical Source Martínez-Ispizua, Eva Calatayud, Ángeles Marsal, José I. Cannata, Claudio Basile, Federico Abdelkhalik, Abdelsattar Soler, Salvador Valcárcel, José Vicente Martínez-Cuenca, Mary-Rus Baby leaf Landrace Microgreen Nutraceutical compounds F30 Plant genetics and breeding F70 Plant taxonomy and geography F60 Plant physiology and biochemistry Q01 Food science and technology Q04 Food composition S01 Human nutrition - General aspects Antioxidants Biodiversity Lettuces Minerals Interest in the cultivation of lettuce landraces is increasing because native varieties, as high-quality products, are particularly attractive to consumers. Lettuce is a popular leafy vegetable worldwide, and interest in the consumption of first leaves (microgreens) and seedlings (baby leaves) has grown due to the general belief that young plants offer higher nutritional value. The content of some bioactive compounds and antioxidants (chlorophylls, carotenoids, anthocyanins, ascorbic acid, phenols, antioxidant activity) was monitored in six lettuce landraces and five commercial varieties, and compared across three development stages: microgreen, baby, and adult. Ascorbic acid and phenolic contents were 42% and 79% higher, respectively, in the early stages than in adult lettuces, and red-leaf varieties (CL4 and L11) stood out. This finding agrees with lettuce’s marked antioxidant capacity and correlates with its pigment contents, especially anthocyanins. The nutritional value of adult lettuce is conditioned by its size, shape, and head structure as phytochemical concentrations are regulated by light. The low content of ascorbic acid, phenolics, and anthocyanins in crisphead lettuce (CL5) is a clear example (49, 67%, and 27% lower, respectively, than the adult mean). Our results indicate the wide variability of lettuces’ nutritional characteristics and emphasize that traditional varieties are a helpful source of agricultural biodiversity. 2022-02-14T16:42:56Z 2022-02-14T16:42:56Z 2022 article publishedVersion Martínez-Ispizua, E., Calatayud, Á., Marsal, J. I., Cannata, C., Basile, F., Abdelkhalik, A. et al. (2022). The Nutritional Quality Potential of Microgreens, Baby Leaves, and Adult Lettuce: An Underexploited Nutraceutical Source. Foods, 11(3), 423. 2304-8158 (e-ISSN) http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/7898 10.3390/foods11030423 https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/11/3/423 es Info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ERDF/POCV 2014-2020/51903 This work is included in Project 51903, cofunded by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) of the Generalitat Valenciana 2014–2020. Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivadas 3.0 España http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/es/ openAccess MDPI electronico
spellingShingle Baby leaf
Landrace
Microgreen
Nutraceutical compounds
F30 Plant genetics and breeding
F70 Plant taxonomy and geography
F60 Plant physiology and biochemistry
Q01 Food science and technology
Q04 Food composition
S01 Human nutrition - General aspects
Antioxidants
Biodiversity
Lettuces
Minerals
Martínez-Ispizua, Eva
Calatayud, Ángeles
Marsal, José I.
Cannata, Claudio
Basile, Federico
Abdelkhalik, Abdelsattar
Soler, Salvador
Valcárcel, José Vicente
Martínez-Cuenca, Mary-Rus
The Nutritional Quality Potential of Microgreens, Baby Leaves, and Adult Lettuce: An Underexploited Nutraceutical Source
title The Nutritional Quality Potential of Microgreens, Baby Leaves, and Adult Lettuce: An Underexploited Nutraceutical Source
title_full The Nutritional Quality Potential of Microgreens, Baby Leaves, and Adult Lettuce: An Underexploited Nutraceutical Source
title_fullStr The Nutritional Quality Potential of Microgreens, Baby Leaves, and Adult Lettuce: An Underexploited Nutraceutical Source
title_full_unstemmed The Nutritional Quality Potential of Microgreens, Baby Leaves, and Adult Lettuce: An Underexploited Nutraceutical Source
title_short The Nutritional Quality Potential of Microgreens, Baby Leaves, and Adult Lettuce: An Underexploited Nutraceutical Source
title_sort nutritional quality potential of microgreens baby leaves and adult lettuce an underexploited nutraceutical source
topic Baby leaf
Landrace
Microgreen
Nutraceutical compounds
F30 Plant genetics and breeding
F70 Plant taxonomy and geography
F60 Plant physiology and biochemistry
Q01 Food science and technology
Q04 Food composition
S01 Human nutrition - General aspects
Antioxidants
Biodiversity
Lettuces
Minerals
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/7898
https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/11/3/423
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