Unlocking the Solution to Hidden Hunger in Developing Nations: Assessing the potential of Microgreens for attaining SDG 2

Unlocking the Solution to Hidden Hunger in Developing Nations: Assessing the potential of Microgreens for attaining SDG 2 | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Unlocking the Solution to Hidden Hunger in Developing Nations: Assessing the potential of Microgreens for attaining SDG 2 Manoj Punasiya, Hemlata Singh, Ashish Panda, Jyostnarani Pradhan, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7726393/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 15 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract India faces a serious hunger problem, ranking 105th in the 2024 Global Hunger Index, with a significant portion of its population suffering from hidden hunger due to micronutrient deficiencies. As of urban middle class population poor dietary habits, particularly the consumption of sugary and processed foods, have led to an epidemic of non-communicable diseases like obesity and diabetes. Microgreens, which are young, nutrient-dense seedlings, offer a promising solution to this issue, providing a diverse range of vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds. Microgreens are being promoted as rich in vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds, making them a promising solution to micronutrient deficiencies but scientific data backing for commercial varieties in India is insufficient to draw such conclusion. This research aims to investigate the potential of microgreens to promote better health outcomes and food security, focusing on 16 vegetable species known for their high nutritional density and widespread consumption. Radish, kale, broccoli, and fenugreek were excellent sources of vitamin C (97.88–85.77 mg 100 g − 1 FW)., Celery, parsley, Palak and spinach were excellent sources of calcium (410.15-320.14 mg/100g DW). Palak, fenugreek, and spinach were good sources of iron and zinc. Most microgreens had low oxalate content (range-15.89-55.14 mg/100 g Fresh Weight), making them safe for consumption. Palak, Broccoli,Fenugreek and kale microgreens had the higher Nutrient Quality Score (NQS) due to their high levels of vitamin C, crude fiber, and iron. The study suggests that microgreens can be considered nutrient-dense crops with strong potential for improving dietary quality. The NQS can be a useful tool for guiding dietary decisions and food product development. This research provides scientific evidence supporting the role of microgreens in promoting better health outcomes and food security. Biological sciences/Biochemistry Health sciences/Health care Biological sciences/Plant sciences Microgreen Hidden Hunger Nutrient Quality Score Anti-oxidant Index SDG 2 Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 05 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 04 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 21 Feb, 2026 Reviews received at journal 16 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 15 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 14 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 06 Jan, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 06 Jan, 2026 Editor invited by journal 13 Oct, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 08 Oct, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 08 Oct, 2025 First submitted to journal 27 Sep, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7726393","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":570983973,"identity":"1cd0fe78-4a76-4973-9ac7-8560248d5630","order_by":0,"name":"Manoj Punasiya","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Manoj","middleName":"","lastName":"Punasiya","suffix":""},{"id":570983975,"identity":"88820973-e606-4929-932f-e38da7c6a3da","order_by":1,"name":"Hemlata Singh","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hemlata","middleName":"","lastName":"Singh","suffix":""},{"id":570983989,"identity":"cb0843f0-7349-45f9-8cb9-b1f89bf76a45","order_by":2,"name":"Ashish Panda","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ashish","middleName":"","lastName":"Panda","suffix":""},{"id":570983990,"identity":"cf5db5b0-da33-41ff-81f5-11c6011711d7","order_by":3,"name":"Jyostnarani Pradhan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jyostnarani","middleName":"","lastName":"Pradhan","suffix":""},{"id":570983991,"identity":"ec187f62-f346-4de4-8634-b0c8be2188cb","order_by":4,"name":"Roshni Agnihotri","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAwUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYHACNgYGAxsULlFa0kjWwnCYBFeZt7c/e1xQcD7fnP3wMwmGGjsGPukG/FpkzpwxN55hcNtyZ0+amQTDsWQGNpkD+LVISOSwSfMY3DYwuMEA1MJ2gIFNIoGQlvRnQC3ngFrYv0kw/CNKS4IZUMsBoBYeMwnGNmK08JwBaUk2sOzJKbZI7EvmIayFvR3osD92Bubsxzfe+PDNTk5+BgEtcGAAIoCKeYhUD9MyCkbBKBgFowAbAAB8mjMFOF1FxQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Roshni","middleName":"","lastName":"Agnihotri","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-09-27 06:38:25","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7726393/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7726393/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":99774307,"identity":"194ef349-f31c-4e7e-a938-5485a6323cb3","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-08 09:36:37","extension":"docx","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":329019,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Microgreenspaperreference.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7726393/v1/e6ce224400ba81b6e162d911.docx"},{"id":99774305,"identity":"b7d2079b-25ce-4e4e-9f71-f9d8f9c1e74a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-08 09:36:37","extension":"json","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":7331,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"8c0dc44ecdc44a7da1957b0f51fe6656.json","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7726393/v1/fec1bd323f9c182db8e0c8c5.json"},{"id":99774311,"identity":"537b9130-4d6d-4e9c-b75d-966b04c90483","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-08 09:36:37","extension":"xml","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":116804,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"8c0dc44ecdc44a7da1957b0f51fe66561enriched.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7726393/v1/1fd877aab909e378c2d19ff2.xml"},{"id":99798243,"identity":"0425837f-708c-466f-af9a-0fc266cb3846","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-08 13:47:42","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":250671,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7726393/v1/59e1d4ca6f3b33e9bd5f24d2.png"},{"id":99774306,"identity":"ad7b5d21-1e62-433e-bf67-ab377bbcebe1","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-08 09:36:37","extension":"png","order_by":6,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":50849,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7726393/v1/a170d1e2ec5d5add5cb0f4c5.png"},{"id":99798870,"identity":"98ebcd4e-00f2-4ae8-bf7e-231831e9ae5e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-08 13:48:58","extension":"xml","order_by":7,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":116031,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"8c0dc44ecdc44a7da1957b0f51fe66561structuring.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7726393/v1/e1088ef607ca32216e32e30a.xml"},{"id":99774309,"identity":"e112fcf2-022b-4195-b2bb-5400b18dd4fe","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-08 09:36:37","extension":"html","order_by":8,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":124695,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"earlyproof.html","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7726393/v1/46eda99e12d428f61aecd772.html"},{"id":99805418,"identity":"1a2f7222-854c-4182-9a65-8a6bfc233d49","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-08 14:16:33","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":524869,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Microgreenspaperreference.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7726393/v1_covered_7a505b4e-6642-4ff4-9fa1-b24eddf8e7b9.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Unlocking the Solution to Hidden Hunger in Developing Nations: Assessing the potential of Microgreens for attaining SDG 2","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Microgreen, Hidden Hunger, Nutrient Quality Score, Anti-oxidant Index, SDG 2","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7726393/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7726393/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eIndia faces a serious hunger problem, ranking 105th in the 2024 Global Hunger Index, with a significant portion of its population suffering from hidden hunger due to micronutrient deficiencies. As of urban middle class population poor dietary habits, particularly the consumption of sugary and processed foods, have led to an epidemic of non-communicable diseases like obesity and diabetes. Microgreens, which are young, nutrient-dense seedlings, offer a promising solution to this issue, providing a diverse range of vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds. Microgreens are being promoted as rich in vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds, making them a promising solution to micronutrient deficiencies but scientific data backing for commercial varieties in India is insufficient to draw such conclusion. This research aims to investigate the potential of microgreens to promote better health outcomes and food security, focusing on 16 vegetable species known for their high nutritional density and widespread consumption. Radish, kale, broccoli, and fenugreek were excellent sources of vitamin C (97.88\u0026ndash;85.77 mg 100 g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003eFW)., Celery, parsley, Palak and spinach were excellent sources of calcium (410.15-320.14 mg/100g DW). Palak, fenugreek, and spinach were good sources of iron and zinc. Most microgreens had low oxalate content (range-15.89-55.14 mg/100 g Fresh Weight), making them safe for consumption. Palak, Broccoli,Fenugreek and kale microgreens had the higher Nutrient Quality Score (NQS) due to their high levels of vitamin C, crude fiber, and iron. The study suggests that microgreens can be considered nutrient-dense crops with strong potential for improving dietary quality. The NQS can be a useful tool for guiding dietary decisions and food product development. This research provides scientific evidence supporting the role of microgreens in promoting better health outcomes and food security.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Unlocking the Solution to Hidden Hunger in Developing Nations: Assessing the potential of Microgreens for attaining SDG 2","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-01-08 09:36:32","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7726393/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-03-05T15:32:30+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-03-04T19:25:56+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"292291847429903478554680493211078206283","date":"2026-02-26T16:17:45+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"25983514735358469700414780792691507910","date":"2026-02-21T16:11:34+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-01-16T07:45:46+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-01-15T18:28:42+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-01-15T04:05:02+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"135803563299013467087223252341558340900","date":"2026-01-07T16:14:02+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"275754833684120558480575158782621078566","date":"2026-01-07T09:27:45+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"240032608326026108238826818903402542038","date":"2026-01-07T02:24:36+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-01-07T01:20:19+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2025-10-13T09:16:44+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-10-08T10:13:36+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-10-08T10:10:39+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2025-09-27T06:30:16+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"b00b92ed-ff22-479d-99ef-5f056c29e0ac","owner":[],"postedDate":"January 8th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[{"id":60761148,"name":"Biological sciences/Biochemistry"},{"id":60761149,"name":"Health sciences/Health care"},{"id":60761150,"name":"Biological sciences/Plant sciences"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-23T12:23:08+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-01-08 09:36:32","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7726393","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7726393","identity":"rs-7726393","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}