The study, led by researchers affiliated with the Medical University of Varna, was designed to answer three deceptively simple questions: to what extent are consumers aware of the edibility and health benefits of microgreens, how frequently are these seedlings consumed among adults in Northeastern Bulgaria, and what perceptions and attitudes influence their use as an alternative nutrient source. Bulgaria presents a compelling case study because national dietary surveys consistently report insufficient vegetable intake, unbalanced dietary patterns, and suboptimal adherence to nutritional recommendations among Bulgarian adults, particularly in urban populations. These dietary characteristics have been identified as contributing factors to the national burden of chronic non-communicable diseases, making the search for accessible and nutrient-dense alternative sources of essential nutrients increasingly urgent.

To capture consumer behaviour, the researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey using two recruitment approaches: an online questionnaire distributed via social media platforms and a paper-based questionnaire administered in public locations. The structured, self-administered instrument covered sociodemographic characteristics such as gender, age group, education, place of residence, monthly household budget, and employment status, alongside items on awareness and recognition of microgreens and other non-traditional edible plants, consumption patterns, forms of intake, nutritional knowledge, perceived market availability, and home cultivation. The questionnaire was pilot-tested with 20 adults to ensure clarity and content validity, after which minor wording adjustments were made. Participation was voluntary and anonymous, informed consent was obtained from all respondents, and ethical approval was granted by the Ethics Committee of the Medical University of Varna in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

The demographic profile of the sample was predominantly urban, female, and relatively young. Of the 198 respondents, 68.7 percent were female and 31.3 percent male, while the largest age group was 18 to 30 years, accounting for 44.9 percent of participants. More than half of the respondents had higher education, including bachelor’s, professional bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees, and 96.0 percent lived in cities or towns rather than villages. The most frequently reported monthly family budget was 2000 to 3000 BGN, reported by 41.4 percent of respondents, while permanent employment was reported by 56.6 percent and student status by 32.8 percent. The researchers emphasise that because participants were recruited through convenience sampling via open channels and public recruitment, the resulting sample should not be considered representative of the general population.

Recognition of the listed plant species was generally high, with the most familiar microgreens being leeks at 63.4 percent, buckwheat at 58.5 percent, peas at 52.4 percent, and spelt grass at 51.0 percent. Most respondents, 82.9 percent, correctly indicated that all listed plants were edible, while only 4.8 percent reported uncertainty regarding their edibility. Among respondents who answered the nutritional knowledge section, vitamins were the most frequently cited benefit at 53.8 percent, followed by minerals at 48.3 percent, fibre at 47.6 percent, and antioxidants at 42.7 percent. However, a considerable proportion, 35.7 percent, reported no knowledge of any specific benefits, revealing that general awareness of healthfulness coexists with significant gaps in detailed nutritional understanding.

To move beyond simple percentages, the researchers employed exploratory factor analysis using principal axis factoring with varimax rotation to identify latent dimensions of respondents’ knowledge and familiarity. Sampling adequacy was confirmed using the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin measure, which reached 0.80, and Bartlett’s test of sphericity was statistically significant, indicating suitability for factor extraction. Two factors with eigenvalues greater than 1.0 emerged, explaining 56.7 percent of the total variance. Factor 1, labelled nutritional awareness, was characterised by strong loadings on knowledge of at least one health benefit, identification of vitamins and fibre as nutritional attributes, and awareness that the listed species are produced on Bulgarian farms. Factor 2, labelled exposure and plant familiarity, loaded strongly on recognition of plant species, exposure to microgreens in retail settings, home cultivation, and identification of minerals and antioxidants as nutritional attributes. The resulting structure reveals a clear distinction between a knowledge-based dimension of nutritional awareness and an exposure-related dimension reflecting familiarity and market interaction.

Factor scores were then used to perform K-means cluster analysis, which identified three distinct consumer profiles. Cluster 1, representing 32.1 percent of respondents, scored highest on both factors and was characterised by strong nutritional awareness, frequent exposure to microgreens in retail settings, a comparatively higher likelihood of home cultivation, and regular consumption of multiple microgreen species. Cluster 2, the largest group at 41.5 percent, demonstrated intermediate levels of nutritional knowledge, moderate species recognition and market familiarity, and expressed interest in microgreens without consistent long-term behavioural engagement. Cluster 3, accounting for 26.4 percent, showed low levels of nutritional awareness, minimal market familiarity, infrequent consumption, and little or no engagement in home cultivation. Based on the number of different microgreen species consumed, respondents were categorised as regular consumers consuming more than three species, occasional consumers consuming one or two species, or non-consumers consuming none. Occasional consumers formed the predominant group at 52.0 percent, regular consumers accounted for 28.0 percent, and non-consumers constituted 20.0 percent of the sample.

Across species, consumption patterns were selective, with the highest intake reported for leeks at 37.1 percent, buckwheat at 36.4 percent, peas at 32.1 percent, and spelt grass at 28.6 percent, suggesting that consumer choices are driven by familiarity and perceived ease of use. Among respondents who reported consumption methods, 50.7 percent consumed microgreens in fresh form while 49.3 percent used them after thermal processing, with regular consumers showing a stronger preference for fresh intake. Market accessibility varied considerably: 26.0 percent of respondents reported no retail exposure to microgreens, 43.6 percent reported having seen only leafy-vegetable microgreens, and encounters with specific species such as buckwheat or leeks ranged from 17.1 to 30.0 percent depending on the species. More than 80 percent of respondents reported that they did not cultivate microgreens at home, and awareness of Bulgarian producers was strikingly low, with 61.4 percent reporting that they did not recognise any domestic producer.

The comparative analysis across consumer groups reinforces the central message of the study. Regular consumers demonstrated consistently higher awareness and stronger engagement with microgreens across all indicators, recognising microgreens at 78 percent versus 60 percent for occasional consumers and 35 percent for non-consumers. Knowledge of vitamins reached 68.0 percent among regular consumers compared with 52.0 percent among occasional consumers and just 27.0 percent among non-consumers, while 67.0 percent of non-consumers reported not knowing any benefits at all. Home cultivation was reported by 21.0 percent of regular consumers, 12.0 percent of occasional consumers, and only 3.0 percent of non-consumers, while market availability encountered ranged from 57.0 percent among regular consumers down to 14.0 percent among non-consumers. These patterns indicate that familiarity, accessibility, and repeated exposure play a decisive role in shaping consumer behaviour, consistent with earlier consumer research on functional plant-based foods demonstrating that perceived health benefits alone are insufficient to ensure regular consumption.

The authors argue that several interacting factors explain the low level of regular consumption despite relatively high awareness. Economic considerations appear to play an important role, as microgreens are often perceived as premium products with higher prices compared to conventional vegetables, which may limit their suitability for everyday use. Limited and inconsistent availability in retail settings reduces opportunities for repeated exposure and habitual purchase, while established culinary traditions and a lack of familiarity with preparation methods may discourage consumers from incorporating microgreens into routine meals. Similar combinations of price sensitivity, availability constraints, and culinary uncertainty have been identified as major barriers to the adoption of novel plant-based foods across Europe. The researchers suggest that improving availability through urban farming initiatives, expanded retail distribution, and the development of processed microgreen formats such as freeze-dried powders or extracts may facilitate their integration into daily diets, noting that both fresh and dried microgreens retain substantial levels of bioactive compounds. Taken together, the results indicate that increasing nutritional awareness alone is unlikely to lead to substantial changes in consumption patterns, and that integrated strategies combining improved market visibility, consistent availability, competitive pricing, and clear culinary guidance are required to support the transition from occasional use to the habitual inclusion of microgreens in everyday diets. The authors also caution that the sample was restricted to Northeastern Bulgaria, was not nationally representative, displayed a high proportion of urban and younger respondents, and relied on self-reported data that may be affected by recall and social desirability bias. Nevertheless, as nutrient-dense, fast-growing, and accessible plant foods, microgreens retain genuine potential to contribute to improved dietary quality and nutritional intake, particularly in urban environments where access to fresh produce may be restricted.

Subject of Research: Nutrition and public health

Article Title: Awareness, consumption, and home cultivation of microgreens in northeastern Bulgaria: a questionnaire-based survey

Article References: Stoycheva, T., Merdzhanova, A., Peycheva, K., Panayotova, V., Stancheva, R., Markova, N., Hristova, T., & Dobreva, D. A. (2026). Awareness, consumption, and home cultivation of microgreens in northeastern Bulgaria: a questionnaire-based survey. Pharmacia, 73, Article e188629. https://doi.org/10.3897/pharmacia.73.e188629

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3897/pharmacia.73.e188629

Keywords: Awareness, consumption, home, cultivation, microgreens, northeastern, Bulgaria, questionnaire-based, survey, scientific research

A new study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Research offers a promising preharvest answer. A team led by Samiksha Bhattarai and Jitendra Patel of the University of Maryland and the USDA Agricultural Research Service tested two plant-derived antimicrobial formulations as seed treatments before sowing: a nanoemulsion of benzyl isothiocyanate, or BIT, a pungent defense compound naturally produced by cruciferous vegetables, and Sporan, a commercial botanical fungicide built from essential oils. Across five Brassicaceae microgreen species—broccoli, mustard, red cabbage, red Russian kale, and daikon radish—the treatments significantly reduced Salmonella contamination on seeds, with the BIT nanoemulsion delivering reductions of up to 2.15 log CFU per gram, roughly a hundredfold drop in bacterial numbers.

The choice of BIT was no accident. Isothiocyanates are the sharp-tasting chemicals behind the bite of mustard and horseradish, formed when glucosinolates in Brassicaceae plants are enzymatically broken down. Previous work has shown they attack bacteria on multiple fronts: disrupting outer membranes, reacting with sulfur-containing amino acids in key metabolic enzymes, interfering with hydrogen ion transfer in the respiratory chain, and ultimately impairing ATP synthesis. Electron microscopy studies cited by the authors show BIT causing bacterial cells to shrink, leak their contents, and burst, while proteins inside the cell unfold and clump into aggregates. But BIT is hydrophobic and volatile, which has hampered its practical use—problems the researchers addressed by formulating it as a nanoemulsion with droplets measuring just 12 to 34 nanometers.

That nanoscale delivery matters. Nanoemulsions stabilize tiny oil droplets with food-grade surfactants, dramatically increasing the surface area available for microbial contact and improving dispersion across irregular seed surfaces. The tiny droplets can penetrate microscopic crevices in the seed coat where Salmonella cells hide, delivering the antimicrobial directly to attached bacteria that conventional washes often miss. In laboratory disk diffusion assays, the 1% BIT nanoemulsion produced inhibition zones of roughly 12 to 14 millimeters against five Salmonella serovars, consistently outperforming the 2% Sporan emulsion, which produced zones of 9 to 10.5 millimeters. The antibiotic gentamicin, used as a positive control, produced the largest zones of all, confirming the assay worked as intended.

For the greenhouse-scale experiments, the team inoculated seeds with a cocktail of four Salmonella serovars at realistic contamination levels, then soaked them in water, BIT nanoemulsion, or Sporan before planting. The results were striking but species-dependent. Mustard seeds saw Salmonella fall from 3.28 to 1.13 log CFU per gram under BIT treatment, while red Russian kale seeds dropped from 3.37 to 1.55 log CFU per gram. Broccoli seeds responded well to both treatments, and red cabbage responded to BIT alone. Only BIT significantly reduced Salmonella on daikon radish seeds. Plain water washing, notably, achieved nothing, confirming that the reductions came from genuine antimicrobial activity rather than mechanical rinsing.

The benefits carried through cultivation. On day 14, BIT-treated red cabbage microgreens showed Salmonella levels 1.21 log units lower than on day 7, and red Russian kale microgreens declined by 1.78 log units over the same period—declines the authors attribute to the gradual release of BIT from nanoscale droplets and its continued interaction with bacteria on the plant surface. Mustard microgreens maintained the lowest overall pathogen counts throughout the study, while daikon radish carried the highest, at around 4 log CFU per gram regardless of treatment. Soil populations, by contrast, were unaffected by any treatment, likely because BIT binds readily to soil particles and volatilizes, and essential oils degrade quickly in moist, organic-rich environments. The seed treatment, in other words, protects the seed and the seedling, not the substrate.

There was a trade-off. Germination assays revealed that BIT reduced germination in several species, most dramatically in red Russian kale, where only 7.3% of seeds germinated compared with nearly 80% in water controls, and mustard, which fell to 42.7%. Sporan showed a milder version of the same pattern, sparing broccoli and red cabbage while suppressing daikon radish to 32%. Yet here the story took an unexpected turn: by harvest on day 14, fresh biomass yields were essentially unchanged across nearly all treatments and species. Broccoli, the highest-yielding crop at around 240 grams per tray, showed no difference between treatments whatsoever. The authors suggest that organic potting soil, with its pH buffering and abundant organic matter, absorbs or degrades the phytotoxic compounds, allowing seedlings to recover from early setbacks. Only daikon radish suffered a genuine yield penalty under BIT, dropping to about 97 grams per tray.

The significance of the work lies in the gap it fills. Microgreen production currently lacks any validated microbial kill step. Chlorine and hydrogen peroxide washes, the traditional tools of seed sanitation, offer limited efficacy against internalized or biofilm-protected bacteria and can damage seed viability at effective concentrations. Physical interventions such as irradiation, steam, and dry heat are often impractical for delicate seeds or incompatible with controlled-environment operations, and postharvest washing is ruled out by the fragile tissues of the seedlings themselves. Because Salmonella can migrate from the seed coat into emerging plant tissues, where surface sanitizers cannot reach it, intervening at the seed stage—before the pathogen gains entry—represents one of the few realistic points of control.

The study also positions natural antimicrobials within the broader movement toward clean-label and organic food production. Sporan is already registered for use in organic horticulture, and BIT is a compound consumers effectively already eat every time they bite into arugula or cabbage. For organic and premium microgreen operations that market chemical-free produce, botanical seed treatments offer a path to meaningful pathogen reduction without synthetic residues, even if chemical sanitizers remain cheaper for conventional growers.

The authors are careful to note that complete pathogen elimination was not achieved, and they call for future research comparing these treatments head-to-head with chemical sanitizers on cost and efficacy, and for multi-hurdle approaches that combine seed treatments with other interventions. Still, the findings mark a meaningful step: a naturally derived compound, delivered at nanoscale, cutting Salmonella on seeds and keeping it lower on edible tissues throughout the growing cycle, all without sacrificing the harvest. In an industry where a single contaminated batch can sicken consumers and shutter a business, even a hundredfold reduction at the seed stage is a powerful new tool for one of fresh produce’s most safety-challenged niches.

Subject of Research: Preharvest natural antimicrobial seed treatments for controlling Salmonella enterica in microgreen production

Article Title: Preharvest seed treatment with natural antimicrobial formulations to control Salmonella enterica in microgreens

Article References: Bhattarai, S., Subedi, U., Pradhan, A. K., & Patel, J. (2026). Preharvest seed treatment with natural antimicrobial formulations to control Salmonella enterica in microgreens. Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, Article 103351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2026.103351

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1016/j.jafr.2026.103351

Keywords: microgreens, Salmonella enterica, benzyl isothiocyanate, nanoemulsion, seed treatment, food safety, Brassicaceae, essential oils, Sporan, preharvest intervention, controlled-environment agriculture, foodborne pathogens