Editorial transparency
On our sources
Most of the microgreen nutrition story rests on three foundational peer-reviewed papers, all published between 2012 and 2016:
- Xiao et al., 2012— the original nutrient-density survey of 25 microgreen varieties, the source of the famous “up to 40×” claim.
- Kyriacou et al., 2016 — the production-systems review that established the 10–14 day cycle as the defining microgreen characteristic.
- Samuolienė et al., 2013 — the LED spectrum work backing modern lighting recommendations.
A reasonable 2026 reader sees those dates and asks: has the field stood still since then?It hasn't. In our May 2026 editorial pass we verified ten post-2018 peer-reviewed papers live — every PMID resolves, every DOI is present, every journal name confirmed, every abstract read in full so the quote and lesson mapping are grounded in the actual paper. They're listed below by short name; tap any inline citation pill in a lesson to see the full record.
Our editorial policy: keep the foundational papers as GOLD-tier anchors (they deservedly earned that status — they are what every subsequent paper cites as its baseline), and layer modern follow-ups on top. When you see two citation badges next to a claim, the older one establishes the foundation and the newer one confirms or refines it. We never silently replace.
The 2026 layered citations
Ten post-2018 papers were threaded into the curriculum in this pass. Three of them (Bouranis 2023, Lee 2025, Xavier 2025) are the most load-bearing — they cover human bioavailability, the first RCT, and the modern food-safety review respectively.
- Kyriacou 2019PMID 30502125
Kyriacou, El-Nakhel, Graziani, et al. · Food Chemistry · 2019
Modern replication of Xiao 2012 across 13 species in 5 plant families; concluded genotype drives nutrient density more than the umbrella term 'microgreen' does.
- Bouranis 2023PMID 37893677
Bouranis, Wong, Beaver, et al. · Foods · 2023
Human feeding study (n=11): broccoli microgreen sulforaphane reaches human serum + urine at levels comparable to broccoli sprouts.
- Lee 2025PMID 39940327
Lee, Johnson, et al. · Nutrients · 2025
RCT crossover trial (n=24): 2 cups daily × 2 weeks of bull's blood beet and red cabbage microgreens; no GI adverse effects, signal of reduced inflammation with red cabbage.
- Di Gioia 2023PMID 37546245
Di Gioia, Hong, Pisani, et al. · Frontiers in Plant Science · 2023
Mineral profile (K/Ca/Fe/Zn/Mn/Cu/B) + nitrate across 17 species. Sunflower the only consistent low-nitrate species.
- Poudel 2023PMID 37469787
Poudel, Duenas, Di Gioia · Frontiers in Plant Science · 2023
Direct head-to-head of substrates: a 50:50 peat+compost blend matched or beat plain peat and produced a 39.8% yield increase for radish.
- Kyriacou 2021PMID 34207882
Kyriacou, El-Nakhel, Soteriou, et al. · Foods · 2021
Brief (≤6 day) pre-harvest water deprivation lowers nitrate without measurably hurting phenolic, carotenoid, or mineral composition.
- Xavier 2025PMID 40467198
Xavier, et al. · Food Research International · 2025
2025 review of contamination routes, outbreaks, and decontamination — the modern food-safety anchor for HACCP work.
- Rao 2025PMID 40774541
Rao, et al. · Journal of Food Protection · 2025
Experimental confirmation that enteric pathogens move from contaminated irrigation water onto soil-bed canopies and persist through harvest.
- Seth 2025PMID 40006785
Seth, Mishra, Chattopadhyay, et al. · Plants · 2025
Top-of-funnel 2025 review synthesising botany, production, nutrition, and food-safety in one place.
- Dubey 2024PMID 39339608
Dubey, Harbourne, Harty, et al. · Plants · 2024
Production-practices review covering light, substrate, seeding density, irrigation, and post-harvest — our catch-all for general claims.
Tiered citations
Every claim in our curriculum carries a tiered citation badge:
- GOLD — peer-reviewed journal articles, ideally in high-impact venues with replicated methodology.
- SILVER — government and university extension publications (USDA, FDA, Cornell CEA, Penn State Extension). Authoritative but not peer-reviewed.
- BRONZE— industry references from commercial growers and seed suppliers (Johnny's, True Leaf, On The Grow). Field-tested but vendor-authored.
- GRAY — practitioner anecdote, clearly labeled and never fact-adjacent.
Last full literature review
May 24, 2026.Every lesson page surfaces its individual review date in the header. If the date is older than 12 months, a banner appears on the lesson itself. Use the “Flag for review” button on any lesson to point us at content that looks out of date.
What we do NOT do
We don't cite papers we haven't read. We don't cite claims that aren't in the cited paper. We don't cite preprints as if they were peer-reviewed. We don't cite industry-sponsored research without saying so. If you find an exception, file it through the flag-for-review button and we'll fix it within the review cycle.