Comparison of Three Domestications and Wild-Harvested Plants for Nutraceutical Properties and Sensory Profiles in Five Wild Edible Herbs: Is Domestication Possible?

Abstract

In this study, five wild edible herbs traditionally consumed in the Tuscany region (Italy) were evaluated for their potential in human nutrition. The nutraceutical characterization of Rumex acetosa, Cichorium intybus, Picris hieracioides, Sanguisorba minor, and Plantago coronopus, as well as their sensory profile were reported. Additionally, a preliminary assessment of completely different domestication of the wild species (named “soilless”, pot, and open field) was conducted to verify the possibility of their marketability, which is impossible if the plants are only gathered as wild. The open field domestication allowed to obtain plants with nutraceutical and sensory profiles similar to those of the wild species, especially in C. intybus, P. hieracioides, and S. minor. The pot domestication allow to obtain plants with chlorophyll and carotenoid contents close to those of the wild species, as well as a lower total phenolic and flavonoid content and ascorbic acid content than wild species. In the “soilless” method, R. acetosa and P. coronopus exhibited a high quality in terms of phytochemicals and antioxidant activity. Afterward, the sensory profile was strongly affected by the domestication in terms of the palatability, except for R. acetosa and P. coronopus, which displayed Hedonic Index (HI) values close to the consumer acceptability limit (HI = 6). A sensory profile similar to that of wild species was reported in open field domestication, whereas a worse sensory profile was reported in P. hieracioides and C. intybus domesticated using the soilless method. Finally, according to the preliminary assessment carried out in this study through an analysis of the general nutraceutical properties, S. minor was shown to be the most promising species thanks to its intrinsically highest nutraceutical properties considering the marketability of wild edible herbs as “new” functional food. However, further research on the bioavailability and bioactivity tests of nutraceutical compounds present in this species are required to confirm the findings of this study.

Antioxidant and Antidiabetic Activity of Proanthocyanidins from Fagopyrum dibotrys

“…Seven species of common Polygonaceae plants, including Fagopyrum dibotrys [ 10 , 13 , 14 ], Fallopia multiflora [ 40 , 41 ], Polygonum aviculare [ 42 , 43 , 44 ], Polygonum orientale [ 45 , 46 ], Reynoutria japonica [ 11 ], Rheum officinale [ 12 ], and Rumex acetosa [ 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 ] were kindly supplied by Bozhou Chinese herbal medicine market in Anhui province (Anhui, China) and identified by Prof. Z.S. Liang, Northwest A&F University.…”

Evaluation of Major Minerals and Trace Elements in Wild and Domesticated Edible Herbs Traditionally Used in the Mediterranean Area

“…Ten seedlings of C. intybus, R. acetosa, P. hieracioides, and P. coronopus were gathered in the wild (W) in the Pisa area as reported by Ceccanti et al [13]. Furthermore, seedlings of the same species were cultivated using three different kinds of domestication: "soilless" (SS), pot (P), and open field (OF) systems.…”

“…Furthermore, seedlings of the same species were cultivated using three different kinds of domestication: "soilless" (SS), pot (P), and open field (OF) systems. Details of different domestications were reported in a previous study [13].…”

Physiological Adaptation to Water Salinity in Six Wild Halophytes Suitable for Mediterranean Agriculture

“…Known as salad burnet, it is a drought- and cold-tolerant species [ 47 , 48 ] that can also tolerate mild saline soils [ 49 ]. S. minor can be consumed as a fresh or boiled vegetable [ 50 ], or used for its medicinal and functional properties due to its high content of antioxidant bioactive compounds which provide digestive, antioxidant, astringent, carminative and diuretic properties [ 51 , 52 ].…”