Edible flowers. Benefits and risks pertaining to their consumption

Abstract

BackgroundRecently, a new trend as well as fashion has been observed of fresh flowers consumption. Edible flowers are served in fashionable restaurants and are popular topic of different magazine articles making an excellent illustration opportunity. However, contrary to the common belief that whatever natural is safe, flowers may pose risk to consumers. Scope and approachThe paper presents consumer attitudes towards edible flowers, explaining what characteristics attract consumers towards them. The beneficial compounds most commonly occurring in edible flowers are described as well as impurities external to the flower-bearing plant.Key findings and conclusion: The benefits of edible flowers consumption are nutritional and bioactive properties. The hazardous compounds may come from the plant or from the different levels of food chain. The two most important groups of external impurities occurring in edible flowers are bacteria and chemical compounds. Hazardous bacteria may come both from agricultural production and the food chain, while the sources of chemical impurities are mostly agricultural production and the environment. Relevant safety requirements and guidelines are scarce.