Bioactivities, chemical composition and nutritional value of Cynara cardunculus L. seeds

Spyridon Petropoulos,Ângela Fernandes,Carla Pereira,Nikos Tzortzakis,Josiana Vaz,Marina Soković,Lillian Barros,Isabel C.F.R Ferreira

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2019.03.066

Abstract

In the present study, the nutritional value, bioactive properties, and chemical composition of various cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L.) genotypes cultivated in central Greece were investigated. The results demonstrated that Cynara seeds are a good source of fat and protein, while they also contain considerable amounts of K, Mg, and Fe and low amount of Na. Sucrose, oxalic acid, and α-tocopherol were the only free sugar, organic acid, and tocopherol isoform respectively, found among the studied genotypes. The most abundant fatty acids were linoleic, oleic and palmitic acid, while PUFA was the most abundant fatty acid class. All the tested seeds contained only two phenolic compounds, namely 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid and 3,5-O-caffeoylquinic acid, while significant antioxidant activities and cytotoxicity against tumor cell lines and antimicrobial effects were also observed. In conclusion, cardoon seed extracts could be exploited in the food and pharmaceutical industries as alternative sources of natural compounds with bioactive properties.

Highlights

Cynara cardunculus L. is a herbaceous perennial species, widely used throughout the centuries for food and medicinal purposes throughout the Mediterranean basin (Petropoulos, Pereira, Tzortzakis, Barros, & Ferreira, 2018)
Seeds from six globe artichokes [Cynara cardunculus L. ssp. scolymus (L.) Fiori], two wild artichokes [Cynara cardunculus L. subsp. sylvestris (L.) Fiori], and one cultivated cardoon genotype [Cynara cardunculus L. subsp. altilis DC] were collected from mature heads from plants grown from seeds at the experimental field of the University of Thessaly, whereas in the case of local landraces, seeds were collected in situ from the regions where they are cultivated
The results of our study are in the same range in terms of dry matter and crude protein content with the report of Cajarville et al (2000) who evaluated the potential of using cardoon seeds as feed for ruminants

Summary

Introduction

Cynara cardunculus L. is a herbaceous perennial species, widely used throughout the centuries for food and medicinal purposes throughout the Mediterranean basin (Petropoulos, Pereira, Tzortzakis, Barros, & Ferreira, 2018). C. cardunculus is a multipurpose crop with the edible parts of the plant being its immature capitula and tender offshoots. The rest of the aerial biomass (leaves and stems) has been suggested for other uses, such as animal fodder and energy production (Mancini et al, 2019), and the food industry (Almeida & Simões, 2018; Llorente, Obregón, Avilés, Caffini, & Vairo-Cavalli, 2014). Plant rhizomes extracts have been attributed with significant antioxidant and antimicrobial properties that may find uses in therapeutical and pharmaceutical purposes (Falleh et al, 2008). Seeds constitute a small portion of total aerial biomass, several studies have reported their important bioactive properties, mostly due to their high effectiveness in scavenging free radicals (Georgieva et al, 2014). Raccuia, Melilli, Argento, and Scalisi (2013)

Methods

Results

Conclusion