Abstract
In the present study plant growth, nutritional value and chemical composition of leaves from twenty-five plain-leafed, curly-leafed and turnip-rooted parsley cultivars were evaluated. Total fresh yield was higher for the plain-leafed cv. Rialto Bejo: 192 ± 11 g/pot, while significant differences were observed between the three types in the nutritional parameters, except for the carbohydrates content. The most abundant organic acid was malic acid (5.22–6.88 g/100 g dw), while the total sugars content did not differ significantly among the tested cultivar types. α-tocopherol was the major tocopherol detected in amount that ranged between 14.76–30.32 mg/100 g dw. The main fatty acids were α-linolenic and linoleic followed by palmitic acid, while only linoleic acid content being different among the cultivar types. In conclusion, the existing diversity in the parsley genotypes could be valorised to increase the agrobiodiversity in the broader Mediterranean region through the introduction of less cultivated curly-leafed and turnip-rooted types.
Highlights
Petroselinum crispum (Mill.) Fuss commonly known as parsley, is an aromatic herb which belongs to the family Apiaceae and the genus Petroselinum [1]
In the same study it was reported that sowing date may affect foliage yield since the genotypes may differ in their growth cycle and in maturity stage at harvest [24], while the same authors reported that sowing date may affect root yield of turnip-rooted parsley [23]
The most abundant fatty acids were α-linolenic and linoleic followed by palmitic acid, while polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were the most abundant class (Table 5)
Summary
Petroselinum crispum (Mill.) Fuss commonly known as parsley, is an aromatic herb which belongs to the family Apiaceae and the genus Petroselinum [1]. The origin of parsley is the Mediterranean region and the Western Asia, but today it is cultivated throughout the world. For centuries it is used as an aromatic vegetable, to garnish and to give flavour and odour to dishes and salads [2,3]. It is commonly used in the food industry, the perfume manufacturing, and for medicinal purposes in the traditional and folk medicine [3,4]. Parsley plant parts (leaf, stem and root) are rich source of bioactive compounds such as, furanocoumarins (e.g., xanthoxin, trioxalen and angelicin), essentials oils (e.g., sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, monoterpene hydrocarbons and alcohols, furanocoumarins, aldehydes, and aromatic compounds), flavonoids (e.g., quercetin, apiol, myristicin, apigenin, luteolin and their glycosides), carotenoids (e.g., neoxanthin, β-carotene, lutein and violaxanthin), vitamins (e.g., tocopherols, A, C and B complex), minerals
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