Edible Flowers as a Source of Dietary Fibre (Total, Insoluble and Soluble) as a Potential Athlete’s Dietary Supplement

Abstract

Edible flowers have been gaining popularity among researchers, nutritionists and chefs all around the world. Nowadays, flowers are used to make food look and/or taste better; however, they are also a very good source of valuable nutrients (antioxidants, vitamins, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, macro and microelements). The aim of our study was to determine the content of dietary fibre and total protein in selected edible flowers; we also compared the nutritional content of petals, differentiating between the representatives of the Oleaceae and Asteraceae families, as well as herbaceous vs. woody plants. The study material consisted of petals of 12 edible flower species (Magnolia × soulangeana, Sambucus nigra L., Syringa vulgaris L. (white and violet flowers), Robinia pseudoacacia, Forsythia × intermedia, Cichorium intybus L., Bellis perennis, Tussilago farfara L., Taraxacum officinale F.H. Wiggers coll., Centaurea cyanus L., Calendula officinalis). Dietary fibre content was determined by the enzymatic-gravimetric method and ranged from 13.22 (Magnolia × soulangeana) to 62.33 (Calendula officinalis L.) g/100 g. For insoluble dietary fibre (IDF), the values ranged from 8.69 (Magnolia × soulangeana) to 57.54 (Calendula officinalis L.) g/100 g, and the content of soluble dietary fibre (SDF) was between 1.35 (Syringa vulgaris L.-white flowers) and 7.46 (Centaurea cyanus L) g/100 g. Flowers were also shown to be a good, though underappreciated, source of plant protein, with content ranging from 8.70 (Calendula officinalis L.) to 21.61 (Magnolia × soulangeana) g/100 g dry matter (Kjeldahl method). Considerable amounts of protein were found in the flowers of the olive family (Oleaceae) and woody plants, which can enrich the daily diet, especially vegan and vegetarian. Edible flowers of the Asteraceae family, especially the herbaceous representatives, contained high levels of both total dietary fibre and its insoluble fraction; therefore, they can be a rich source of these nutrients in the daily diet of athletes, which would perform a prebiotic function for gut bacteria.

Butterfly Pea Flower as a Novel Ingredient to Produce Antioxidant-Enriched Yellow Pea-Based Breakfast Cereals

“…Apart from bioactive components, edible flowers can also be consumed as a source of dietary fiber. It has been shown that the total dietary fiber content of edible flowers can reach up to 62 g/100 g flower (db) [ 23 ]. However, as per authors’ search on Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed databases using keywords “butterfly pea flower”, “Clitoria ternatea flower”, “soluble dietary fiber”, “insoluble dietary fiber” and “total dietary fiber”, no published research work was found on dietary fiber content of butterfly pea flowers.…”

Steaming and vacuum drying preserve active components, sensory and antioxidant properties of Flos Sophorae

“…This phenomenon may be due to the heating for a long time, which resulted in protein oxidation and degradation (Duque-Estrada et al, 2019;Jiang et al, 2022). In addition, the protein content ranged from 24.23 to 28.18 g/100 g in this research, and these were higher than other freeze-dried edible flowers, such as Magnolia × soulangeana, Sambucus nigra L., and Robinia pseudoacacia (Jakubczyk et al, 2022).…”

Species of aphids found in ornamental and wild plants in Pagar Alam District, South Sumatra, Indonesia

“…Flowers contain a nutrient-rich nature and easy access to sap; therefore, aphids were attracted to flower saps. In addition, some aphid species were drawn to certain colors (Jakubczyk et al 2022). Herbs served as an alternative host for aphids in this present study.…”