Nutritional and Sensory Quality of Two Types of Cress Microgreens Depending on the Mineral Nutrition

• Main Authors: Norbert Keutgen, Michael Hausknecht, Magda Tomaszewska-Sowa, Anna Jadwiga Keutgen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-05-01
• Series: Agronomy
• Subjects: bioactive compounds; <i>Brassicaceae</i>; consumer preferences; functional food; sensory attributes
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/6/1110

The present study addressed the combination of nutritional and sensory quality assessment of radish and garden cress as microgreens cultivated in different amounts of mineral nutrients under conditions that can be realized in a private household. The content of value adding compounds was determined by means of chemical analyses. Total flavor impression and visual appearance were rated by untrained consumer tests. In cotyledons of radish cress (<i>Raphanus sativus</i> L.), carotenoid, total phenols, nitrate contents, and antioxidant capacity decreased significantly with decreasing mineral content in the nutrient solution, whereas, in stems, total phenols and anthocyanin contents rose and nitrate content decreased significantly with decreasing mineral content. In garden cress (<i>Lepidium sativum</i> L.), carotenoid and nitrate contents decreased and anthocyanin content increased significantly with decreasing mineral content, indicating that the response of value adding compounds to changing amounts of minerals in the nutrient solution depends on the compound of interest, plant species, and even the plant organ of a species. The sensory quality of the studied microgreens was generally rated highest when mineral content in the nutrient solution was highest, indicating that sensory quality is not necessarily identical with nutritional quality. Considering the common practice in private households, cultivation with tap water represents an attractive compromise for nutritional and sensory quality in case of garden cress, whereas, for radish cress, the application of 25% modified Hoagland solution is recommended.