Abstract
Studies are scarce on the nutritional and phytochemical composition of wild edible Mediterranean plants after culinary processing. This work provides the nutritional composition after culinary treatment (including dietary fiber and mineral composition) and bioactive compounds (folates, vitamin C and organic acids) of wild Rumex pulcher L., Silene vulgaris (Moench) Garcke. leaves, and wild Asparagus acutifolius L., Bryonia dioica Jacq., Humulus lupulus L., Tamus communis L. young shoots. Shoots better preserved their nutrients than leaves, due to their different tissue structure. Fresh and cooked wild greens present high dietary fiber values, and remained at remarkable levels after boiling. Na, K, Mg and Zn were lost in about 50% due to culinary processing, while Ca, Cu, Fe and Mn were more stable. Boiled leaves of S. vulgaris remained as a good Mn source. A portion of 100 g of most of the cooked analyzed species could cover a relevant percentage of the daily requirement of folates (R. pulcher and A. acutifolius providing more than 80%) and vitamin C (T. communis and A. acutifolius providing more than 35%).
Highlights
The Mediterranean basin is characterized by an enormous biodiversity and a rich heritage of edible wild plants, which since Ancient times have represented an important source of nutrients for rural communities, both for food and medicinal uses
The implementation of traditional culinary knowledge has the potential to contribute to the diversification of income in depressed regions through the sale of high-quality local products, as it has been promoted in some community rural development policies [2,3]
A Tecator Soxtec System HT 1043 Extraction Unit (Fisher-Scientific, Madrid, Spain) was used to extract a freeze-dried sample with petroleum ether; the extract was dried at 105 ◦ C and cooled and weighed following the AOAC 983.23 method [40]
Summary
The Mediterranean basin is characterized by an enormous biodiversity and a rich heritage of edible wild plants, which since Ancient times have represented an important source of nutrients for rural communities, both for food and medicinal uses. In the last century, the industrialization of agriculture, together with migratory phenomena, as well as other factors, have contributed to an important loss of the knowledge acquired over generations and has drastically changed the ways of life of rural communities regarding the use of these edible wild resources [1]. Despite this decline, several European countries, including Spain, still maintain the tradition of collecting and eating some wild plant resources, and nowadays, the growing demand for healthy foods and natural antioxidants—combined with the development of sustainable cuisine—have renewed interest in and promoted the culinary use of wild edible plants. Some wild species can be considered as a good material
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