Sustainable Household-Scale Cultivation and Nutritional Profiling of Sunflower Microgreens
ackground: Microgreens are increasingly investigated as nutrient-dense plant foods that may contribute to dietary diversification. However, the nutritional composition of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) microgreens under simple household-scale cultivation conditions remains comparatively under-characterized. Objective: The present study evaluated the proximate composition, mineral profile, antioxidant constituents, antioxidant activity, and selected antinutritional factors of sunflower microgreens cultivated under household-scale conditions. Methods: Untreated sunflower seeds were cultivated in cocopeat-filled geo-fabric grow bags under natural indirect sunlight and ambient conditions without nutrient supplementation. Microgreens were harvested at the early true-leaf stage (7-10 days after sowing). Proximate composition was determined using AOAC methods, while minerals, vitamins, phytochemicals, antioxidant activity, oxalate, and phytate were estimated using standardized analytical procedures. All determinations were conducted in triplicate and expressed as mean ± standard deviation. Results: Fresh sunflower microgreens contained 80.78 ± 0.03 g/100 g moisture, 4.08 ± 0.02 g/100 g protein, 6.26 ± 0.06 g/100 g carbohydrate, and 2.93 ± 0.04 g/100 g crude fibre. Among the minerals analysed, iron was 15.63 ± 0.12 mg/100 g, calcium 44.67 ± 0.12 mg/100 g, while β-carotene and total flavonoid content were 300 ± 0.10 µg/100 g and 216.70 ± 0.10 mg RE/100 g, respectively. DPPH radical scavenging activity was 81.51 ± 0.02% inhibition. Oxalate and phytate contents were 22.32 ± 0.01 and 0.36 ± 0.02 mg/100 g, respectively. Conclusion: Sunflower microgreens cultivated under the household-scale conditions evaluated in this study exhibited a measurable profile of protein, fibre, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidant-related constituents, together with quantified levels of selected antinutritional factors.