Research on microgreens: a bibliometric analysis

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Research Articles | Published:

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Online ISSN : 2229-4473.
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Doi: 10.1007/s42535-023-00699-x
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Keywords: Emerging food, Microgreen, Seedlings, Scientometrics, Study trends


Abstract


Microgreens are vegetables whose edible parts are harvested at the seedling stage. They are highly nutritious and widely used in sophisticated cuisines. They are considered an emerging food product that have been investigated in the scientific and commercial fields. Scientometrics can be used to study scientific literature in a quantitative manner, identifying emerging trends and the knowledge structure of a certain field of research. The objective of this study was to measure the status quo, identify trends in scientific literature, and define possibilities for research on microgreens using bibliometric analysis. For this, a descriptive analysis concerned with country ranking, document number, journals, and topics was made, as well as the generation of network connections of interactions between these factors. Through a search for scientific articles in the Scopus database and subsequent bibliometric analysis, it was determined that 60% of scientific publications on microgreens were concentrated between 2018 and 2021. The United States of America and Italy are the countries that utilize this term the most, with a high level of collaboration between them. Most studies have focused on aspects related to luminosity, growth, and quality in relation to nutritional characteristics, especially bioactive compounds. Even among the main articles cited, the majority of them explore these associated terms, demonstrating that researchers should explore current and future trends. Also, the exponential growth in the number of research on microgreens shows the growing prominence and scientific relevance of the topic.


Emerging food, Microgreen, Seedlings, Scientometrics, Study trends


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Acknowledgements


We would like to thank Editage (www.editage.com) for the English language editing.


Author Information


Ferreira Melvin Eggler
Department of Agriculture, Federal University of Paraíba, University, Bananeiras, Brazil

Henschel Juliane Maciel
Department of Plant Science, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil


Olivoto Tiago
Department of Agriculture, Federal University of Paraíba, University, Bananeiras, Brazil


Batista Diego Silva
Department of Plant Science, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil

diego.batista@academico.ufpb.b
Zeist André Ricardo
Department of Agriculture, Federal University of Paraíba, University, Bananeiras, Brazil
andre.zeist@ufsc.br