Effect of irrigation water source and post-harvest washing treatment on the microflora of alfalfa and mung bean sprouts

Sprouts as probiotic carriers: A new trend to improve consumer nutrition

Over the past few decades, efforts to eradicate hunger in the world have led to the generation of sustainable development goals to reduce poverty and inequality. It is estimated that the current coronavirus pandemic could add between 83 and 132 million to the total number of undernourished people in the world by 2021. Food insecurity is a contributing factor to the increase in malnutrition, overweight and obesity due to the quality of diets to which people have access. It is therefore necessary to develop functional foods that meet the needs of the population, such as the incorporation of sprouts in their formulation to enhance nutritional quality. Germination of grains and seeds can be used as a low-cost bioprocessing technique that provides higher nutritional value and better bioavailability of nutrients. Consequently, the manuscript describes relevant information about the germination process in different seeds, the changes caused in their nutritional value and the use of techniques within the imbibition phase to modify the metabolic profiles within the sprouts such as inoculation with lactic acid bacteria and yeasts, to generate a functional symbiotic food.

Effects of Typical Antimicrobials on Growth Performance, Morphology and Antimicrobial Residues of Mung Bean Sprouts

Antimicrobials may be used to inhibit the growth of micro-organisms in the cultivation of mung bean sprouts, but the effects on mung bean sprouts are unclear. In the present study, the growth performance, morphology, antimicrobial effect and antimicrobial residues of mung bean sprouts cultivated in typical antimicrobial solutions were investigated. A screening of antimicrobial residues in thick-bud and rootless mung bean sprouts from local markets showed that the positive ratios of chloramphenicol, enrofloxacin, and furazolidone were 2.78%, 22.22%, and 13.89%, respectively. The cultivating experiment indicated that the production of mung bean sprouts in antimicrobial groups was significantly reduced over 96 h (p < 0.05). The bud and root length of mung bean sprouts in enrofloxacin, olaquindox, doxycycline and furazolidone groups were significantly shortened (p < 0.05), which cultivated thick-bud and rootless mung bean sprouts similar to the 6-benzyl-adenine group. Furthermore, linear regression analysis showed average optical density of 450 nm in circulating water and average production had no obvious correlation in mung bean sprouts (p > 0.05). Antimicrobial residues were found in both mung bean sprouts and circulating water. These novel findings reveal that the antimicrobials could cultivate thick-bud and rootless mung bean sprouts due to their toxicity. This study also proposed a new question regarding the abuse of antimicrobials in fast-growing vegetables, which could be a potential food safety issue.