The glycosylic profile of edible flowers while alternative foods
Artigo de Conferência
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resumo
Edible flowers have been used in the human diet with secular records in Asia, ancient
Greece and Rome, medieval France, England and the Middle East region [1). Due to
consumer's interest in healthier living habits, edible flowers have performed an
increasingly important function. These flowers are abundant natural sources of
phytochemical compounds around the world with health benefits [2).The aim of this study
was to determine the individual profile of soluble sugars and glycosylated flavonoids in
petals and respective infusions of four edible flower species (Dahlia· mignon, Rose
damascena 'Alexandria' and R. Gallica 'Francesa' grafted on R. canina, Calendula
officina/is L. and Centaurea cyanus L). The soluble sugars were determined by high
performance liquid chromatography coupled to a refractive index detector (HPLC-RI) and
quantification was performed using the internal standard (melezitose) method. The
phenolic profile analysis was performed by LC-DAD-ESI/MSn. Fructose, glucose and
sucrose were found in the petals and in the infusions of the different species. Fructose was
the main sugar present in three of the studied edible flowers, except for the Calendula
officina/is L. where sucrose was the predominant sugar. Dahlia and rose petals (10.24 ±
0.62 and 10.75 ± 1.05 g/1 00 g dry weight), and their infusions (0.19 ± 0.02 and 0.19 ± 0.01
mg/100 mL respectively) presented higher values of total sugars, while the centaurea
petals (1 .5 ± 0.1 g/1 00 g) and its infusion (0 .14 ± 0.01 mg/1 00 mL) presented lower values.
The phenolic profile, of dahlia sample presented a total of 21 compounds, the main being
naringenin-3-0-glucoside. The rose petals presented 12 flavonoids (kaempferol- and
quercetin-3-0-glucosides as major compounds). Calendula presented a profile with 13
phenolic compounds (isorhamnetin-3-0-rutinoside as the most abundant molecule) and
centaurea flowers presented 14 polyphenols (apigenin-0-glucuronide as the most
abundant).
These results confirm the potential of edible flowers as a source of bioactive compounds
and their applicability, not only as ingredients in gourmet cooking but also as sources of
bioactive phytochemicals with interest for the pharmaceutical and food industries.
