On a global scale, people are demanding more attractive and tasty food. Both the quality of foodstuffs and aesthetic aspects contribute to the appearance of consumed meals. The attraction and appeal of individual dishes could be enhanced by edible flowers. New information concerning the composition and nutritional value of edible flowers is also important and represents a sufficient reason for their consumption. The aim of this study is to contribute to the popularization of some selected edible flowers of ornamental plants involving altogether 12 species. The flowers were used to determine their antioxidant capacity, which fluctuated between 4.21 and 6.96 g of ascorbic acid equivalents (AAE)/kg of fresh mass (FM). Correlation coefficients between antioxidant capacity and the contents of total phenolics and flavonoids were r2 = 0.9705 and r2 = 0.7861, respectively. Moreover, the results were supplemented with new data about the mineral composition of edible flowers (mostly, not found in the available literature). The highest levels of mineral elements were observed in the flowers of species Chrysanthemum, Dianthus or Viola. The most abundant element was potassium, the content of which ranged from 1,842.61 to 3,964.84 mg/kg of FM.

In this study there were evaluated total phenolic and flavonoid contents, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) of 3 herbs species, that are commonly used in fresh stage (summer savory – Satureja hortensis L., marjoram – Majorana hortensis M. and thyme – Thymus vulgaris L.) in dependence on time of harvest. The total flavonoid content ranged from 2.36 to 4.10 g of catechin equivalents (CE).100g−1 of dry weight (dw) of plant material. The highest average total flavonoids content was ascertained in aerial part of summer savory colected in first harvest (4.10 g CE.100g−1 dw) and the lowest in aerial part of summer savory collected in third harvest (2.36 g CE.100g−1 dw). The highest total flavonoid content was measured by all tested species in plant material harvested in first time of harvest. The highest total phenolic content was estimated in plant material of marjoram harvested in the second time of harvest (6.74 g gallic acid equivalents (GAE).100g−1 dw) and the lowest in aerial part of summer savory harvested in the third time of harvest (4.16 g GAE .100g−1 dw). Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) ranged from 1,13 (summer savory, harvest No. 3) to 1.91 g GAE .100g−1 dw (thyme, harvest No. 1). The best results of total flavonoid content, total phenolic content and FRAP were obtained by marjoram. Among harvest times there were the highest contents of measured compound mainly by the samples collected in the first time of harvest.

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