Abstract
Edible flowers are consumed for their appearance, colours, nutritional and healthy properties, but the use is limited by the actual number of the species. Seven edible flowers of the Lamiaceae family (Ocimeae and Mentheae tribes) were investigated: Monarda didyma ‘Fireball’, Nepeta × faassenii ‘Six Hills Giant’, Ocimum basilicum ‘Blue Spice’, O. basilicum ‘Cinnamon’, Ocimum × citriodorum, Salvia discolor, and Salvia microphylla ‘Hot Lips’. Total soluble sugars, proteins, polyphenols, carotenoids, ascorbic acid and antioxidant activity were detected. The species of the Mentheae tribe contained higher sugar content than Ocimeae flowers, the opposite with regard to protein content. Ocimeae tribe flowers showed high polyphenols and carotenoids content. The Ocimeae tribe together with two specie of the Mentheae tribe showed an aroma profile dominated by sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (58.0% in S. discolor to 77.9% in Ocimum × citriodorum). Oxygenated monoterpenes prevailed in Nepeta and Monarda, also present in the essential oil of this latter species (84.5%). By contrast, Nepeta and S. discolor evidenced non-terpenes as the principal class (41.2% and 77.5%, respectively), while the oxygenated sesquiterpene was the main one in S. microphylla. The two varieties of Ocimum spp. showed oxygenated monoterpenes as the main class of volatiles.
Highlights
Lamiaceae is a family of flowering species, known as the mint family [1].The taxonomy rank is composed of 236 genera and 6900–7200 species, distributed all over the world [2].Lamiaceae is divided in 12 subfamilies [3] of which Nepetoidae is one of the most clearly defined [4]and has strongly aromatic species with volatile terpenoids [1].Lamiaceae are usually herbs, subshrubs, or shrubs
Sugars are an important component of flowers, since the flavor is often related to that content
Nectar is a relevant source of soluble sugars [14], and it is composed of water, sucrose, glucose, fructose, and traces of 10 minor sugars [46]
Summary
Lamiaceae (order Lamiales) is a family of flowering species, known as the mint family [1].The taxonomy rank is composed of 236 genera and 6900–7200 species, distributed all over the world [2].Lamiaceae is divided in 12 subfamilies [3] of which Nepetoidae is one of the most clearly defined [4]and has strongly aromatic species with volatile terpenoids [1].Lamiaceae are usually herbs, subshrubs, or shrubs. Lamiaceae (order Lamiales) is a family of flowering species, known as the mint family [1]. Lamiaceae is divided in 12 subfamilies [3] of which Nepetoidae is one of the most clearly defined [4]. Has strongly aromatic species with volatile terpenoids [1]. Their leaves and flowers are generally scented, and this is a distinctive feature of this family. Many Lamiaceae species produce a wide spectrum of bioactive compounds (flavonoids, terpenoids, phenolics and alkaloids), that are characterized by numerous biological activities (e.g., antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties) [5,6,7,8,9]
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