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Safety and Nutritional Value of Wild Edible Plants

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Dear colleagues,

The use of wild plants as food is widespread, for various reasons, in both industrialized and developing countries. Numerous ethnobotanical studies have testified to the use of species belonging to different families of higher plants as well as algae. It is therefore necessary to investigate their nutritional value, the content of active ingredients and prebiotic molecules, and their safety of use. This is primarily linked to the correct identification of the plant, to the presence of any anti-nutritional factors, to microbiological safety aspects, as well as to the value in human nutrition. The Special Issue is aimed at studies that concern ethnobotanical aspects, phytochemistry, food chemistry, food technology, and microbiological safety aspects of wild plants.

Prof. Dr. Vincenzo De Feo
Dr. Lucia Caputo
Guest Editors

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Keywords

wild plant uses
food chemistry
microbiology
food technology
food safety

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20 pages, 2039 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Phytochemical Profiling of Allium subhirsutum L. Aqueous Extract with Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, Antibiofilm, and Anti-Quorum Sensing Properties: In Vitro and In Silico Studies

by Mejdi Snoussi, Emira Noumi, Hafed Hajlaoui, Lamjed Bouslama, Assia Hamdi, Mohd Saeed, Mousa Alreshidi, Mohd Adnan, Ayshah Al-Rashidi, Kaïss Aouadi, Siwar Ghannay, Ozgur Ceylan, Vincenzo De Feo and Adel Kadri

Plants 2022, 11(4), 495; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11040495 - 11 Feb 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2853

Abstract

The present study was the first to evaluate the phytochemical composition, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and anti-quorum sensing potential of Allium subhirsutum L. (hairy garlic) aqueous extract through in vitro and in silico studies. The phytochemical profile revealed the presence of saponins, terpenes, flavonols/flavonones, flavonoids, and fatty acids, particularly with flavonoids (231 ± 0.022 mg QE/g extract), tannins (159 ± 0.006 mg TAE/g extract), and phenols (4 ± 0.004 mg GAE/g extract). Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis identified 15 bioactive compounds, such as 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (37.04%), methyl methanethiolsulfonate (21.33%), furfural (7.64%), beta-D-glucopyranose, 1,6-anhydro- (6.17%), 1,6-anhydro-beta-D-glucofuranose (3.6%), trisulfide, di-2-propenyl (2.70%), and diallyl disulfide (1.93%). The extract was found to be non-toxic with 50% cytotoxic concentration higher than 30,000 µg/mL. The investigation of the antioxidant activity via DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and FRAP (IC₅₀ = 1 μg/mL), ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid); IC₅₀ = 0.698 ± 0.107 μg/mL), and β-carotene (IC₅₀ = 0.811 ± 0.036 mg/mL) was assessed. Nevertheless, good antimicrobial potential against a diverse panel of microorganisms with bacteriostatic and fungistatic effect was observed. Quorum sensing inhibition effects were also assessed, and the data showed the ability of the extract to inhibit the production of violacein by the mutant C. violaceum strain in concentration-dependent manner. Similarly, the biofilm formation by all tested strains was inhibited at low concentrations. In silico pharmacokinetic and toxicological prediction indicated that, out of the sixteen identified compounds, fourteen showed promising drug ability and could be used as lead compounds for further development and drug design. Hence, these findings support the popular use of hairy garlic as a source of bioactive compounds with potential application for human health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Safety and Nutritional Value of Wild Edible Plants)

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22 pages, 1640 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nutritional Composition, Bioactive Compounds, and Volatiles Profile Characterization of Two Edible Undervalued Plants: Portulaca oleracea L. and Porophyllum ruderale (Jacq.) Cass

by Tamara Fukalova Fukalova, María Dolores García-Martínez and María Dolores Raigón

Plants 2022, 11(3), 377; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11030377 - 29 Jan 2022

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3114

Abstract

Wild edible plants are an important source of healthy food and have played an important role in traditional Mediterranean diets. In this paper, quality characteristics were typified in Portulaca oleracea L. and Porophyllum ruderale (Jacq.) Cass, undervalued plants inherent to the spring-summer season in the Valencian coastal region. Nutritional composition and bioactive compounds were analyzed and compared between plants in wild and organic cultivation conditions. Proximate analysis was carried out according to Association of Official Analytical Chemists methods. Total antioxidants were measured as 2.2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl hydrate and total polyphenols content via the Folin–Ciocalteu procedure. The HS-SPME technique was used to characterize the volatiles profile, and the polyphenol profile was evaluated by HPLC. The most important microelement was iron. Total antioxidants ranged from 4392.16 to 7315.00 μmol Trolox·equivalents 100 g⁻¹ fw, and total phenolic content ranged from 99.09 to 391.18 mg gallic acid equivalents·100 g⁻¹ fw. Results show that the content of antioxidants and phenols was higher in wild species than in cultivated ones. The volatiles profile revealed that P. ruderale was rich in monoterpenoids (48.65–55.82%), and fatty alcohols were characteristic in P. oleracea species (16.21–54.18%). The results suggest that both plants could be healthy foods and could have new sustainable agro-ecological potential for the local commercial sector. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Safety and Nutritional Value of Wild Edible Plants)

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