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Wild vegetables of the Mediterranean area as valuable sources of bioactive compounds

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Abstract

The intake of traditionally consumed wild edible species is nowadays receiving renewed attention, due to the recognition of their potential benefits for human health. This paper represents a contribution to the knowledge of the chemical composition of different wild and under-utilized vegetables of the Mediterranean area, concerning their organic acid profile and the distribution of ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acids as vitamin C activity. Fifteen species, belonging to ten botanical families, were selected, analyzing two samples of each one from two different localities of Central Spain. Each species showed a specific organic acids fingerprint. Citric acid was 90% of total organic acids in Tamus communis; malic acid was the major one in Humulus lupulus, Taraxacum obovatum and Cichorium intybus, and oxalic acid was the main organic acid in Beta maritima, Papaver rhoeas, Silybum marianum, Foeniculum vulgare, Rumex pulcher, Silene vulgaris, Scolymus hispanicus, Rumex papillaris and Bryonia dioica. The distribution of ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acid was highly variable. Mean values for total vitamin C ranged between 1.5 and 79.4 mg/100 g. Tamus communis, R. pulcher, S. vulgaris and B. dioica, showed the highest content of AA, and together with F. vulgare and H. lupulus, the highest total vitamin C content. These results can be useful to complete food composition databases with the inclusion of wild vegetables from the Mediterranean area, contributing to enhance the diversity of the diet as well as its nutritional quality.

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Acknowlegments

Research funding for this work was obtained from ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) and the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (CGL2006-09546/BOS). We want to thank to Ramón Morales, Susana González and María Molina for collaborating in the gathering and preparation of the samples and for their comments about the manuscript. Antonio Galán helped in the correct determination of Taraxacum specimens.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dpto. Nutrición y Bromatología II. Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Pza Ramón y Cajal, s/n, E-28040, Madrid, Spain

    M. C. Sánchez-Mata, R. D. Cabrera Loera, V. Fernández-Ruiz, M. Cámara & C. Díez Marqués

  2. Dpto. de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Internacional Valenciana (VIU), Valencia, Spain

    P. Morales

  3. Dpto. Biología (Botánica), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Edif. de Biología, Módulo B/Despacho 202, Campus de Cantoblanco C/Darwin, 2 E-28049, Madrid, Spain

    M. Pardo-de-Santayana

  4. Instituto Madrileño de Investigación y Desarrollo Rural, Agrario y Alimentario (IMIDRA), Finca “El Encín”, Apdo. 127, E-28800, Alcalá de Henares, Spain

    J. Tardío

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  1. M. C. Sánchez-Mata
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Correspondence to M. C. Sánchez-Mata.

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Sánchez-Mata, M.C., Cabrera Loera, R.D., Morales, P. et al. Wild vegetables of the Mediterranean area as valuable sources of bioactive compounds. Genet Resour Crop Evol 59, 431–443 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-011-9693-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-011-9693-6

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