From famine wild plants in mountain regions of Northeastern Portugal to gourmet foods in contemporary diets: a nutritional based revalorization study
Artigo de Conferência
Visão geral
Pesquisas
Ver Todos
Visão geral
resumo
Wild plants have received high importance at different locations and times of the
human history given their ability to provide nutrients and protection in scarcity periods. In
the Northeastern region of Portugal, a mountainous land with vast biodiversity and cultural
heritage, a large number of edible wild plants have become underutilized over time.
This abandonment was mainly due to altered lifestyles of modern society and massive
utilization of a restrict number of crops. However, some wild species are now emerging in
gardens and kitchens around Europe and increasingly found in farmers' markets, gourmet
food shops and restaurants. Following this trend, this study aimed to characterize five
species traditionally consumed as vegetable (Montia fontana L., Nasturtium officinale R.
Br. and Rumex induratus Boiss. & Reut.) or as condiment (Pterospartum tridentatum (L.)
Willk and Thymus pulegioides L.) in terms of nutrients and bioactive compounds. Wild
specimens of the selected plants were gathered in the Northeast region of Portugal and
analyzed for their nutritional value following standard procedures; free sugars, fatty acids,
tocopherols and ascorbic acid were analyzed by chromatographic techniques; and
total phenolics and flavonoids were quantified by colorimetric assays. All plants revealed
low protein contents. The highest levels of carbohydrates and free sugars were found in
the flowering parts of the two species used as condiments. Fructose and glucose predominated
in all plants except in T. pulegioides in which sucrose prevailed. These low-fat
foods revealed healthy fatty acids profiles mainly composed by α-linolenic acid, a precursor
of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. M. fontana and R. induratus were
sources of ascorbic acid; a 100-g portion of R. induratus contain more than 50% of the
recommended dietary allowances (RDA) for adults. R. induratus, T. pulegioides and P.
tridentatum presented the high α-tocopherol content, whose 100-g portions contribute in
more than 30% of the RDA. Regarding bioactive non-nutrients, while P. tridentatum was
found particularly rich in total phenolics, T. pulegioides showed the highest total flavonoid
content. This extensive work demonstrates that the selected famine foods have a healthy
fatty acids composition, vitamins and bioactive compounds, and can be considered as
interesting contemporary foods.
