Mediterranean non-cultivated vegetables as dietary sources of compounds with antioxidant and biological activity

• Autor(a) principal: Morales, Patricia
• Data de Publicação: 2014
• Outros Autores: Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R., Carvalho, Ana Maria, Sánchez Mata, María de Cortés, Cámara Hurtado, Montaña, Fernández-Ruiz, Virginia, Pardo de Santayana, Manuel, Tardío, Javier
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10198/9428
• topic: Non-cultivated leafy vegetables; Vitamin C; Organic acids; Tocopherols; Antioxidant properties

Non-cultivated vegetables whose basal leaves have been traditionally consumed in Spain were evaluated for their potential in human nutrition, considering vitamin C, organic acids, tocopherols, phenolics and flavonoids, and antioxidant activity. As far as we know, this is the first report on organic acids and vitamin C of Anchusa azurea and Apium nodiflorum, on tocopherols of Anchusa azurea, Beta vulgaris, Chondrilla juncea, Rumex papillaris, Rumex pulcher, Silybum marianum and Taraxacum obovatum, as well as on the antioxidant capacity of most of them. Data revealed that the mentioned non-cultivated vegetables are good sources of bioactive compounds. Rumex pulcher, R. papillaris and Papaver rhoeas are rich in vitamin C, Sonchus oleraceus and Rumex papillaris in tocopherols. Rumex pulcher, Papaver rhoeas and Anchusa azurea showed promising antioxidant properties, which are related to their high levels of phenolic and flavonoids. Some species presented high levels of oxalic acid. Therefore, people with a trend of developing kidney calculus should avoid eating these greens (especially Silybum marianum, Sonchus oleraceus and Beta maritima) and choose species with low oxalic acid content such as Taraxacum obovatum and Cichorium intybus. The traditional consumption of these species after boiling and rejecting the water may decrease the amount of oxalic acid.