Abstract
Unconventional vegetables, in general, are plants that have been largely consumed by the population at some point and, because of changes in eating behavior, now present reduced economic and social expression and have lost ground to other vegetables. The objectives of this study were to perform phytochemical screening of the ethanol extracts of Rumex acetosa L., Tropaeolum majus L., Solanum muricatum, Stachys byzantina K. Koch and Solanum betaceum Cav. and evaluate their antioxidant potentials via the methods involving scavaging of the DPPH free radical and the ABTS radical, phosphomolybdenum and reducing power. In phytochemical screening, five species of unconventional vegetables tested positive for tannins; for sesquiterpene, lactones and other lactones. These tests were positive for Tropaeolum majus L. and Rumex acetosa L., Solanum betaceum Cav. and Solanum muricatum tested negative for steroids. Only Solanum betaceum Cav. gave positive tests for flavonoids. Among the five plant species studied, Stachys byzantina K. Koch presented the greatest antioxidant potential in all the methods evaluated.
Highlights
Unconventional vegetables are considered to be those that are currently consumed by only a few people, usually in restricted areas or communities
The extracts from Rumex acetosa L. and Tropaeolum majus L. tested positive for sesquiterpene lactones and other lactones, Tests for flavonoids were negative with the extracts from Rumex acetosa L., Tropaeolum majus L., Solanum muricatum and Stachys byzantina K
The extracts of five species of unconventional vegetables tested positive for tannins, whereas only the extracts from Rumex acetosa L. and Tropaeolum majus L. tested positive for sesquiterpene lactones and other lactones
Summary
Unconventional vegetables are considered to be those that are currently consumed by only a few people, usually in restricted areas or communities. These vegetables have a good taste and nutritional value [1]. Because of globalization and the increasing use of processed foods, cultivation and consumption of unconventional vegetables have decreased in all the regions of Brazil, both urban and rural areas. The eating habits of Brazilians of all social classes are being modified, and the consumption of food from local and regional sources has been shrinking [2]. With respect to native vegetables, research, cultivation, use and valorization seem to be even less [3]
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