From the Field to the Pot: Phytochemical and Functional Analyses of Calendula officinalis L. Flower for Incorporation in an Organic Yogurt

Abstract

Edible flowers have been used as ingredients because of their biological activities, taste, and overall appearance. This research was aimed to characterize the chemical composition and in vitro antioxidant activity of the marigold flower (Calendula officinalis L.) extracted with different proportions of water and ethyl alcohol, and the lyophilized extract with higher content of antioxidant compounds was incorporated into an organic yogurt. Results showed that the hydroalcoholic extract (50:50 v/v) presented the highest total phenolic content (TPC), flavonoids, and antioxidant activity (ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), total reducing capacity (TRC), and Cu2+/Fe2+ chelating ability). Phenolic acids and flavonoids were quantified in the extract by LC-DAD, while 19 compounds were tentatively identified by ESI-MS/MS. The lyophilized marigold extract (LME) also inhibited 12% of Wistar rat’s brain lipid oxidation in vitro, inhibited α-amylase, and α-glucosidase activities, but showed no cytotoxicity towards cancerous cells (HCT8 and A549). However, marigold flower extract protected human erythrocytes against mechanical stress. When added into an organic yogurt model (0 to 1.5%), LME increased TPC and antioxidant activity (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and TRC), and the sensory analysis showed that the organic yogurt had an acceptance of 80.4%. Our results show that the use of LME may be a technological strategy to increase the content of bioactive compounds in yogurts.

Sustainable–Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Aqueous Hyssopus officinalis and Calendula officinalis Extracts and Their Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities

“…The antioxidant activity values varied in the range of 14.3 to 43.6 mg CGA g −1 Molecules 2022, 27, 7700 6 of 14 DW, with Hyssopus having the highest value and Calendula the lowest. The values of the antioxidant activity of Calendula are inconsistent with those reported by Escher et al [49], observing a FRAP value of 50% for EtOH extracts as 3.2 expressed as mg of ascorbic acid equivalents antiradical activity per g of raw material. The difference in values is due to the antioxidant activity being expressed in a different way.…”

Pullulan/Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hydrogels Loaded with Calendula officinalis Extract: Design and In Vitro Evaluation for Wound Healing Applications

“…Table1lists each identified compound based on its retention time and mass spectrum. The structure assignment of all compounds was based on a rigorous search for molecular ions using the extracted ion mass chromatograms and comparing those with the literature[52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64].Olennikov et al, in their previous investigations, detected and isolated from C. officinalis leaves and flowers extracts a large part of the compounds found in this study, such as chlorogenic acid, isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside, isorhamnetin 3,7-di-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, quercetin-3-O-galactoside, and typhaneoside [53-55]. Isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside was detected for the first time in the flower extract of C. officinalis by Rigane et al [56].…”

Edible Flowers Used in Some Countries of the Mediterranean Basin: An Ethnobotanical Overview

“…The C. officinalis flowers (as well as the related C. arvensis L.) are widely used in Italy and Bosnia-Herzegovina in salads or as a condiment. The main constituents of the marigold flowers include steroids, terpenoids, triterpenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and carotenes [ 160 , 161 ]. Faradiol, caffeic acid, rutin, and chlorogenic acid isolated from C. officinalis exhibit biological activity [ 162 ].…”