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Abstract
Traditional vegetables and vegetable legumes can be a source of readily availabledaily sustenance when grown in home or kitchen gardens. Lower income groups that lack access to or cannot afford global vegetables and animal protein sources wouldbenefit greatly from the increased availability and consumption of traditional vegetables. Phytonutrient levels of edible parts differ according to the growth stages of the plant and often decrease from the seedling (sprout or microgreen) to the fully developed stage. Sprouts and microgreens can easily be grown in urban or peri-urbansettings where land is often a limiting factor, either by specialized vegetable farmersor the consumers themselves. Given their short growth cycle, sprouts and microgreenscan be grown without soil and without external inputs like fertilizers and pesticides,around or inside residential areas. Seedlings from semi-domesticated or even wild species typically have highlevels of phytonutrients, good flavor, and tender texture. Several crops or different varieties of the same crop can be mixed to create attractive combinations of textures, flavors, and colors. As sprouts and microgreens are usually consumed raw, there is noloss or degradation of heat-sensitive micronutrients through food processing. AVRDCis currently studying potential differences in the levels of essential micronutrients,bioactive compounds, and consumer preferences of selected traditional vegetables and vegetable legumes at different growth and consumption stages. The results obtained with amaranth are reported in this paper. Amaranth is increasingly becoming popular as a nutrient-dense leafy green beyond Asia and the Caribbean (Saelinger 2013). The phytonutrient content was assessed at three stages: (a)sprouts, (b) microgreens, and (c) fully grown plants. The comparison included landraces from the AVRDC Genebank and commercially available cultivars. This work may expand the use of genebank materials for specialty produce such as sprouts and microgreens with great potential to improve food and nutrition security for peopleliving in urban and peri-urban settings.