RESUMO
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.
RESUMO
Brazil is home to a wide variety of flora, including several lesser known species, such as araçá that were processed in this study using two green technologies consecutively: supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) for nonpolar fraction and pressurized liquid extraction. For polar fraction, the experiments followed a central composite design involving ethanol as solvent, with temperature and static time in each bath as independent variables. Both extracts were analyzed for antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Total phenolics content (TPC) was determined for all ethanol extracts. In the araçá essential oil (AEO) obtained by SFE, the extraction yield was 2.33%. The three major compounds of AEO were α-pinene (20.75%), p-cymene (20.50%), and o-cymene (20.05%). In ethanol extracts, the high yield (14.49%) was obtained at 74 °C/6 min and the major TPC (136.95 mg GAE/100 g) at 60 °C/9 min. Ethanol extracts presented good antioxidant activity (EC50 = 6.37 mg/mL) at 74 °C/6 min. AEO was unable to reduce DPPH⢠concentration by 50%. Both extract types presented an inhibitory effect against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacillus cereus, while only the ethanol extracts presented effect against Listeria monocytogenes. This work had the aim to present the innovation of the use of a whole typical Brazilian fruit that gives rise to extracts with excellent properties for employment in both the pharmaceutical and food industries.