Knowledge

Microgreens, explained plainly.

Young edible plants, harvested days after germination, when the first true leaves appear. Not sprouts, not baby salad: a distinct stage with its own flavour, texture and handling.

Definition

Harvested young, eaten whole above the soil line.

A microgreen is a seedling of an edible vegetable or herb, cut at the stem just above the growing medium, typically 6-14 days after sowing depending on the crop. You eat the stem and the leaves; the root stays behind.

Not the same thing

Microgreens, sprouts and baby greens are different.

Sprouts: Germinated seeds eaten whole, root included, usually grown in water without light. Because of the warm, humid conditions they require, food-safety authorities treat sprouts as a distinct higher-risk category. [5]
Microgreens: Grown in a medium with light, cut above the root, eaten as a fresh green.
Baby greens & mature vegetables: Harvested weeks to months later, larger, milder, and generally sold through a longer supply chain.

Nutrition

Explore the nutrients in each crop.

A frequently cited study measured vitamin and carotenoid concentrations across 25 microgreen varieties and found levels that were, per unit weight, often substantially higher than published values for their mature counterparts. [1]

Two caveats matter. First, this is concentration by weight, and a serving of microgreens is small, a garnish is not a portion of vegetables. Second, values vary widely by crop, growing conditions and freshness, so a single multiplier for 'microgreens' is misleading.

Broccoli: Studied for glucoraphanin, the precursor that converts to sulforaphane when the plant tissue is chewed or chopped. [3]
Red cabbage: Among the highest measured for vitamin C and anthocyanins in the 25-variety comparison. [1]
Kale: Measured for lutein and other carotenoids. [1]

Nutrition density

Small leaves. A closer look at the research.

Published studies report concentrations of selected nutrients in particular crops. These comparisons use an assumed 150 g fresh portion, not a measured Luya harvest or a recommended serving.

A small tray of fresh microgreens beside a large pile of mature vegetables

Broccoli

Target · Glucoraphanin

150 g reference portion

≈ 5 kg

mature broccoli

that's roughly 17-18 heads

Same approximate glucoraphanin content only. Literature estimate; not LUYA-tested.*

Human feeding study, Nutrients 2023

Red Cabbage

Target · β-Carotene

150 g reference portion

≈ 2.6 kg

mature red cabbage

roughly two whole cabbages

Same approximate β-carotene content only. Literature estimate; not LUYA-tested.*

Xiao et al., J. Agric. Food Chem. 2012

Daikon Radish

Target · Vitamin E

150 g reference portion

≈ 6.6 kg

spinach

Same approximate vitamin e content only. Literature estimate; not LUYA-tested.*

Xiao et al., J. Agric. Food Chem. 2012

Cilantro

Target · Lutein + Zeaxanthin

150 g reference portion

≈ 1.7 kg

mature cilantro

Same approximate lutein + zeaxanthin content only. Literature estimate; not LUYA-tested.*

Xiao et al., J. Agric. Food Chem. 2012

What can growing conditions change?

Our researchers study how light, water and growing conditions influence plants. Biological prediction and nutrition or taste adjustment are planned for Luya X1 Pro, not included in the X1 release.

LightNutrientsClimateIrrigationHarvest timing

AI vision→Lab testing→AI learning→Better recipe

Two pea microgreen trays side by side against a steel rule, same seed, different growing recipe, visibly different height — Same crop, same seed lot, different recipe, from our own bench trials.

Published proof of principle

Arugula microgreens · Vitamin C

Baseline

43-61 mg / 100 g

Optimized growing conditions

149-264 mg / 100 g

+289%

Published biofortification study*

Published research · ongoing LUYA studies

Learn from the plant. Test what changes.

*Literature-based estimates derived from published studies and reference food-composition data. Comparisons refer only to the specified nutrient by mass, not overall nutritional or health equivalence. 150 g is an assumption, not a measured tray yield. These results do not establish the nutrient content of LUYA-grown crops.

Sources: USDA ARS; Xiao et al., Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry; Zhang et al., Food Chemistry; Kyriacou et al., Frontiers in Plant Science; published broccoli glucoraphanin studies.

Fresh vs bottled

What if your daily nutrition could grow in your kitchen?

One tray does the work of the bottle. Pick a crop and see what a single weekly LUYA tray delivers, measured against the pills people buy for the same thing.

Broccoli microgreens · replaces Sulforaphane pills

28×

a 30 mg sulforaphane capsule

Active compound

Glucoraphanin: the sulforaphane precursor

In one weekly tray

≈ 850 mg per weekly tray

A 60-count bottle of a leading sulforaphane supplement holds about the same as two trays — and fresh microgreens bring their own enzyme to make sulforaphane when you chew them. ¹²

Raw vs cooked

37%vs 3.4% bioavailability

The same broccoli, raw vs cooked: sulforaphane bioavailability fell ~11-fold with cooking. What form food is eaten in matters as much as what it contains.⁶

Sources

Illustrative figures based on published data; nutrient content varies with crop, cultivar, light and harvest time, and glucoraphanin converts to sulforaphane only when the plant is chewed or cut. Not medical advice.

Every figure, with the arithmetic

One tray, and what it equals.

Each row divides a published concentration for the crop by the USDA value for a food you already know. One tray is 150 g of fresh cut greens throughout. Nothing here is a measurement of LUYA-grown product, and four crops have nothing to show yet; those rows say so rather than disappearing.

Crop	One tray equals	Source	Calculation
Broccoli Waltham 29	34 heads of broccoli matched on glucoraphanin Compared against the mean of 31 supermarket broccoli heads. Field-grown genotypes average higher, which would put the figure nearer 12-15.	Crop value ¹ Broccoli, raw ¹⁰FDC #170379 · one head of broccoli = 151 g	576 mg/100 g × 150 g = 864 mg 16.6 mg/100 g × 151 g = 25.0 mg 864 ÷ 25.0 = 34.5
↳ also	4.1× the magnesium of mature broccoli 86.83 mg per 100 g fresh weight against 21 for the raw grown head. A fold-change rather than a count because no comparator in this table is a food people associate with magnesium. The same study puts calcium at 111.83, which is 2.4× the head.	Crop value ²Microgreen and mature plant compared in one study.	Reported directly as a fold-change;no absolute value to convert into a count.
Kale Vates Blue Scotch Curled	10 apples matched on vitamin C Highest vitamin C of the four Brassicaceae microgreens in that study, ahead of broccoli, radish and mustard. Not a claim against grown kale, which is higher per gram — the same paper puts mature kale at 70–93 mg/100 g. The authors also measured how much survived a simulated digestion and got 1.87%; that is an in-vitro figure for their protocol, not a measurement of how much a person absorbs.	Crop value ³Measured on green curly kale, Brassica oleracea var. sabellica — the curly-kale group our Vates Blue Scotch Curled belongs to, but not that named cultivar. Closer than most rows here: the earlier mineral work we cite used Red Russian kale, which is a different species (B. napus). Apples, raw, with skin ¹⁰FDC #171688 · one apple = 182 g	56.1 mg/100 g × 150 g = 84.2 mg 4.60 mg/100 g × 182 g = 8.37 mg 84.2 ÷ 8.37 = 10.1
Daikon Radish Daikon Minowase	31 avocados matched on vitamin E The highest vitamin E of the 25 microgreens in that survey.	Crop value ⁴Measured on green daikon, not the Minowase we grow. Avocados, raw, all commercial varieties ¹⁰FDC #171705 · one avocado = 201 g	87.4 mg/100 g × 150 g = 131 mg 2.07 mg/100 g × 201 g = 4.16 mg 131 ÷ 4.16 = 31.5
↳ also	111 heads of broccoli matched on vitamin E	Crop value ⁴ Broccoli, raw ¹⁰FDC #170379 · one head of broccoli = 151 g	87.4 mg/100 g × 150 g = 131 mg 0.78 mg/100 g × 151 g = 1.18 mg 131 ÷ 1.18 = 111.3
Purple Radish Rambo (Organic)	125 blueberries matched on anthocyanins	Crop value ⁵Reported for red radish microgreens generally, not the Rambo cultivar. Blueberries, raw ¹⁰FDC #171711 · one blueberry = 1.36 g	186 mg/100 g × 150 g = 279 mg 163 mg/100 g × 1.36 g = 2.22 mg 279 ÷ 2.22 = 125.9
Red Cabbage Red Acre	82 carrots matched on lutein and zeaxanthin	Crop value ⁴ Carrots, raw ¹⁰FDC #170393 · one carrot = 61 g	8.60 mg/100 g × 150 g = 12.9 mg 0.26 mg/100 g × 61 g = 0.16 mg 12.9 ÷ 0.16 = 82.6
↳ also	31 heads of broccoli matched on beta-carotene	Crop value ⁴ Broccoli, raw ¹⁰FDC #170379 · one head of broccoli = 151 g	11.5 mg/100 g × 150 g = 17.3 mg 0.36 mg/100 g × 151 g = 0.55 mg 17.3 ÷ 0.55 = 31.6
↳ also	26 apples matched on vitamin C The highest vitamin C of the 25 microgreens in that survey.	Crop value ⁴ Apples, raw, with skin ¹⁰FDC #171688 · one apple = 182 g	147 mg/100 g × 150 g = 221 mg 4.60 mg/100 g × 182 g = 8.37 mg 221 ÷ 8.37 = 26.3
↳ also	3.0 heads of broccoli matched on calcium Top of the seventeen species in that study on calcium, level with amaranth and Genovese basil. Also 3.2× mature red cabbage, which USDA puts at 45 mg/100 g. The plant team's table had this figure right but attributed it to Xiao 2012, which measured vitamins and carotenoids and no minerals at all.	Crop value ⁶ Broccoli, raw ¹⁰FDC #170379 · one head of broccoli = 151 g	143 mg/100 g × 150 g = 214 mg 47.0 mg/100 g × 151 g = 71.0 mg 214 ÷ 71.0 = 3.0
Arugula Slow Bolt	10 apples matched on vitamin C The study's untreated control ran 43-61 mg/100 g across its harvests; this is the top of that range and the low end would read 7.7. Mature arugula is higher still per gram, so this is not a claim against the grown leaf.	Crop value ⁷ Apples, raw, with skin ¹⁰FDC #171688 · one apple = 182 g	61.0 mg/100 g × 150 g = 91.5 mg 4.60 mg/100 g × 182 g = 8.37 mg 91.5 ÷ 8.37 = 10.9
↳ also	20 heads of broccoli matched on beta-carotene Mid-range of that survey's 0.6-12.1 spread. Read off the primary table rather than a review, so the figure is first-hand for once.	Crop value ⁴ Broccoli, raw ¹⁰FDC #170379 · one head of broccoli = 151 g	7.50 mg/100 g × 150 g = 11.3 mg 0.36 mg/100 g × 151 g = 0.55 mg 11.3 ÷ 0.55 = 20.6
Mustard Wasabi (Organic)	27 blueberries matched on anthocyanins The highest of five Brassicaceae microgreens measured. Anthocyanins only — the same study puts mustard lowest of the five in total phenolics.	Crop value ⁸ Blueberries, raw ¹⁰FDC #171711 · one blueberry = 1.36 g	40.6 mg/100 g × 150 g = 60.8 mg 163 mg/100 g × 1.36 g = 2.22 mg 60.8 ÷ 2.22 = 27.4
Basil Genovese	3.0 heads of broccoli matched on calcium Among the highest calcium of seventeen microgreens tested. Mature basil is higher per gram.	Crop value ⁶ · variety matches ours Broccoli, raw ¹⁰FDC #170379 · one head of broccoli = 151 g	142 mg/100 g × 150 g = 213 mg 47.0 mg/100 g × 151 g = 71.0 mg 213 ÷ 71.0 = 3.0
Amaranth Red Garnet	80 carrots matched on lutein and zeaxanthin	Crop value ⁴ · variety matches ours Carrots, raw ¹⁰FDC #170393 · one carrot = 61 g	8.40 mg/100 g × 150 g = 12.6 mg 0.26 mg/100 g × 61 g = 0.16 mg 12.6 ÷ 0.16 = 80.7
Pea Shoots Speckled (Organic)	269× the vitamin E of the mature pea Pea tendrils measured 35.0 mg α-tocopherol per 100 g fresh weight against 0.13 for raw green peas. That survey lists pea twice: tendrils grown under light at 35.0, and GOLDEN pea tendrils — the same seed grown in the dark — at 4.9. We grow under light. γ-tocopherol ran 8.3 and is excluded, because it does not carry vitamin E activity in humans.	Crop value ⁴Microgreen and mature plant compared in one study.	Reported directly as a fold-change;no absolute value to convert into a count.
↳ also	12 avocados matched on vitamin E Light-grown pea tendrils. The same survey's dark-grown 'golden' pea tendrils measure 4.9 — the light is most of the difference, which is an argument for a device that controls it.	Crop value ⁴ Avocados, raw, all commercial varieties ¹⁰FDC #171705 · one avocado = 201 g	35.0 mg/100 g × 150 g = 52.5 mg 2.07 mg/100 g × 201 g = 4.16 mg 52.5 ÷ 4.16 = 12.6
↳ also	22 heads of broccoli matched on beta-carotene Light-grown pea tendrils again. The dark-grown 'golden' variant of the same seed measures 0.6 — the lowest β-carotene of the twenty-five, and thirteen times less than this.	Crop value ⁴ Broccoli, raw ¹⁰FDC #170379 · one head of broccoli = 151 g	8.20 mg/100 g × 150 g = 12.3 mg 0.36 mg/100 g × 151 g = 0.55 mg 12.3 ÷ 0.55 = 22.6
↳ also	17× the selenium of the mature pea Reported as a fold-change against the mature plant in the same study, with no absolute value to turn into a count. Molybdenum ran 12.2×.	Crop value ⁹Microgreen and mature plant compared in one study.	Reported directly as a fold-change;no absolute value to convert into a count.
Basic Mix Kale · Kohlrabi · Broccoli · Red cabbage · Arugula	31 heads of broccoli matched on beta-carotene, from the red cabbage in this mix	Crop value ⁴ Broccoli, raw ¹⁰FDC #170379 · one head of broccoli = 151 g	11.5 mg/100 g × 150 g = 17.3 mg 0.36 mg/100 g × 151 g = 0.55 mg 17.3 ÷ 0.55 = 31.6
Spicy Mix Broccoli · Kale · Arugula · Kohlrabi · Red cabbage · Mustard	27 blueberries matched on anthocyanins, from the mustard in this mix	Crop value ⁸ Blueberries, raw ¹⁰FDC #171711 · one blueberry = 1.36 g	40.6 mg/100 g × 150 g = 60.8 mg 163 mg/100 g × 1.36 g = 2.22 mg 60.8 ÷ 2.22 = 27.4

Sources

Microgreen values are published figures for the crop type and not measurements of LUYA product; where the study used a different variety from the one we grow, the row says so. Comparator nutrient values and household portion weights are USDA FoodData Central, retrieved 2026-09-01. Each comparison covers one named nutrient by mass, not overall nutritional or health equivalence. Not medical or nutritional advice.

Grow for one nutrient

Trays that go together.

Twelve crops is a lot to choose between. A programme starts from the other end: pick something you already care about, and the trays follow. Each one is two or three crops that finish within a day of each other, taste nothing alike, and are dense in the same nutrient.

The Lutein Programme

Red Cabbage + Amaranth

163carrotsmatched on lutein and zeaxanthin, across 2 trays

25.5 mg per cycle at 150 g a tray ÷ 0.156 mg per carrot. Eaten across a week that is 3.6 mg a day.

Your macula concentrates both and can make neither. Cohort studies saw lower rates of macular degeneration in the groups eating 3-5 mg a day; supplement trials raised measured macular pigment density, on evidence their own authors call low quality.

Not a claim that these trays prevent anything. No one has tested them for it.

Ranard 2017 — Dietary guidance for lutein: consideration for intake recommendations is scientifically supported
Hu 2024 — Effect of antioxidant supplementation on macular pigment optical density and visual functions: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

The Vitamin A Programme

Arugula + Pea Shoots

43heads of broccolimatched on beta-carotene, across 2 trays

23.6 mg per cycle at 150 g a tray ÷ 0.545 mg per head of broccoli. Eaten across a week that is 3.4 mg a day.

β-carotene is what the body makes vitamin A from, and vitamin A carries an authorised wording about vision — which lutein, the nutrient people reach for first, does not. Both crops clear the threshold to be called a source of it several times over.

The authorised wording is “contributes to the maintenance of normal vision”. Maintaining, not improving, and not preventing any eye disease.

EU Reg. 432/2012 — Authorised wording: “Vitamin A contributes to the maintenance of normal vision
Xiao 2012 — Assessment of vitamin and carotenoid concentrations of emerging food products: edible microgreens

The Vitamin C Programme

Red Cabbage + Arugula + Kale

47applesmatched on vitamin C, across 3 trays

396 mg per cycle at 150 g a tray ÷ 8.37 mg per apple. Eaten across a week that is 57 mg a day.

Vitamin C is the nutrient that falls fastest in storage, so where it is grown matters more than for most. All three clear the threshold to be called a source of it; red cabbage is the highest of the twenty-five microgreens ever surveyed.

The authorised wording is “contributes to the normal function of the immune system”. That is not a claim about preventing or shortening illness.

EU Reg. 432/2012 — Authorised wording: “Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system
Xiao 2012 — Assessment of vitamin and carotenoid concentrations of emerging food products: edible microgreens

The Vitamin E Programme

Daikon Radish + Pea Shoots

44avocadosmatched on vitamin E, across 2 trays

184 mg per cycle at 150 g a tray ÷ 4.16 mg per avocado. Eaten across a week that is 26 mg a day.

Daikon microgreens measured the highest α-tocopherol of the twenty-five microgreens in that survey. The same survey grew pea from one seed lot two ways: under light it measured 35.0 mg per 100 g, in the dark 4.9. Only α-tocopherol counts as vitamin E in people, so that is the only form counted here.

The authorised wording is “contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress” — a statement about cells, not about ageing or disease.

Xiao 2012 — Assessment of vitamin and carotenoid concentrations of emerging food products: edible microgreens
EU Reg. 432/2012 — Authorised wording: “Vitamin E contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress

Fresh vs a supplement

Nutrition is more than a number on a label.

In a human trial, fresh broccoli sprouts and six supplement pills were matched for glucoraphanin going in, about 220 µmol each. But over 24 hours, the body absorbed far more sulforaphane from the living plant.

≈ 5×

more sulforaphane your body actually absorbs, from fresh sprouts versus the same glucoraphanin in pills.

Fresh living broccoli sprouts with dew — Fresh sprouts
sulforaphane metabolites excreted over 24 hours
≈ 5×

Broccoli supplement capsules and powder spilled from a bottle — 6 supplement pills
the same glucoraphanin going in
baseline

A human crossover trial: 12 subjects ate fresh broccoli sprouts, then, after a washout, took six broccoli supplement pills. Sulforaphane metabolites in urine ran about 5× higher on the sprouts, and peak plasma about 7× higher. Most pills lack active myrosinase, the enzyme the living plant brings with it. Clarke et al., Pharmacological Research 2011

A pill is one molecule. A plant is a whole system.

Live myrosinase enzymeFiberWaterOther glucosinolatesPhytochemicalsThe whole-food matrix

Why drink powdered greens when you can eat them alive?

Educational summary of published research, not medical advice. Bioavailability depends on the supplement (some add myrosinase), preparation, and the individual.

Using them

Add them at the end, raw.

Most of what makes microgreens worth eating (texture, aroma, and heat-sensitive compounds) does not survive cooking. Treat them as a finishing ingredient: on eggs, folded into a salad, over a grain bowl, in a sandwich, or blended into a smoothie.

Rinse before eating. Cut what you need and leave the rest growing.

Safety

Sensible handling, and when not to eat them.

Fresh produce carries ordinary food-safety considerations: clean hands, clean tools, clean water, and rinsing before eating. Keep the growing area and any reusable parts clean between cycles.

Do not eat a tray that smells sour, is slimy, or shows fuzzy growth on the stems. Discard it and start again. If you are pregnant, immunocompromised, or feeding young children, follow standard fresh-produce guidance from your local food-safety authority. [5]

Sources

Read the Journal→

Microgreens, explained plainly.

Harvested young, eaten whole above the soil line.

Microgreens, sprouts and baby greens are different.

Explore the nutrients in each crop.

Small leaves. A closer look at the research.

What can growing conditions change?

What if your daily nutrition could grow in your kitchen?

One tray, and what it equals.

Trays that go together.

The Lutein Programme

The Vitamin A Programme

The Vitamin C Programme

The Vitamin E Programme

Nutrition is more than a number on a label.

Add them at the end, raw.

Sensible handling, and when not to eat them.

One handful.
Several stories.

Red Cabbage

Cyanidin-based anthocyanins