Evaluation of Borage (Borago officinalis L.) Genotypes for Nutraceutical Value Based on Leaves Fatty Acids Composition

Abstract

Borage (Borago officinalis L.) is a traditional vegetable grown and consumed in some Spanish regions. The objective of this study was to determine the variability and evolution of fatty acid composition in a borage germplasm collection formed by wild types, breeding lines, commercial varieties, and landraces. Fatty acids were analysed in petioles, the commonly edible part of the leaves, and the leaf blades, the by-product of the borage industry, in two growth stages: at the optimal harvest period (120 days after sowing) and at the end of the harvest period (150 days after sowing). The results showed that for each of the eight fatty acids identified, there were significant differences among the twelve borage genotypes depending on the developmental plant stage at sampling date and the part of the leaf analysed, the interaction effect also being statistically significant. The main polyunsaturated fatty acids identified were: linoleic acid (18:2 n6, LA), α-linolenic acid (18:3 n3, ALA), γ-linolenic acid (18:3 n6, GLA), and stearidonic acid (SDA, 18:4, n-3), account for approximately 70% of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Blue-flowered genotypes differ from white-flowered genotypes by their high content of ALA and SDA, which can be exploited in borage breeding programs. Petioles from young plants present higher n6 fatty acids, while older plants produce a great amount of n3 fatty acids. Besides, the higher content of ALA in the leaf blades gives them a good dietary potential. All these fatty acids, with multiple health benefits, support the nutraceutical interest of borage leaves (both petioles and leaf blades) for human consumption, animal feeding, medicine, and pharmacy.

Nutraceutical Potential of Leafy Vegetables Landraces at Microgreen, Baby, and Adult Stages of Development

“…SDA, a metabolite of ALA via D6-desaturase, has been previously found in borage [35][36][37]. Our results showed a range from 10.29% (Bor2, microgreen) to 14.16% (Bor1, baby), lower than those previously obtained by Peiretti et al (24%) [35] or by Stahlër et al (25%) [36], and similar to the values obtained by Montaner et al [37], which varied from 7.3% to 14.6%.…”

Neuroprotective Profile of Edible Flowers of Borage (Borago officinalis L.) in Two Different Models: Caenorhabditis elegans and Neuro-2a Cells

“…We can also highlight that the IA in FAs in borage extract was 0.26. According to Montaner et al [ 44 ], this index can range from 0.18 to 0.43, and it is important to consider the different effects that FAs might have on human health, particularly the probability of decreasing the incidence of pathogenic effects of atheroma and brain inflammatory processes. Regarding the calculated oxidizability value (Cox) of 5.73, the tendency of borago flower extract to prevent oxidative deterioration was observed, which supports its significant dietary nutraceutical value.…”

Borago Officinalis L.: A Review Oon Extraction, Phytochemical, and Pharmacological Activities

“…Other bioactive molecules were found in the oily part, namely two essential fatty acids, α-linolenic acid and γ-linolenic acid, efficient in the treatment of various diseases. [18,39,40,47,73,77,78,84,90,103,131,132] Besides, α, β, γ and δ-tocopherol, and tocotrienols (β and γ-Tocotrienol) were also reported. [47,54,84,132] Furthermore, other biomolecules not belonging to the aforementioned phytochemical classes were identified in B. officinalis i. e., allantoin, shikonin, syringaldehyde, β-sitosterol, oleuropein, coumaroyl hydroxyagmatine, 8-hydroxyquinoline, gluconapine and pyrogallol.…”

“…Other bioactive molecules were found in the oily part, namely two essential fatty acids, α‐linolenic acid and γ‐linolenic acid, efficient in the treatment of various diseases [18,39,40,47,73,77,78,84,90,103,131,132] . Besides, α, β, γ and δ‐tocopherol, and tocotrienols (β and γ‐Tocotrienol) were also reported [47,54,84,132] …”