Proximal composition, bioactive compounds content and color preference of Viola x Wittrockiana flowers

Abstract

Pansy (Viola x wittrockiana) is an edible flower with several colored petals, considered a WEP (wild edible plant). However, little scientific information is available on the chemical composition and bioactive compounds of this plant. Thus, the objective of this study was to characterize chemically and determine the color preference of 22 petals of the edible flowers of Viola x wittrockiana. The total carbohydrates content of 80.27 g, 10.14 g of crude protein, 1.67 g of fat and 7.92 g of ash per 100 g of dry sample were obtained. The total energy value was 376.67 Kcal per 100 g dry sample. Palmitic acid was the major fatty acid, followed by linoleic acid. The phenolic compound contents in the petals with different staining ranged from 73 to 1033.5 mg of gallic acid equivalent per 100 g of sample. The highest levels of phenolic compounds were obtained in colored petals, and the lowest contents were obtained in the petals with lighter colors. The “purple” and “pink” colors had the highest anthocyanin content. The highest levels of flavonoids were obtained in the “orange”, “blue and violet”, “yellow with pink stain”, “White with purple stain”, “yellow”, “blue with purple stain” and “blue” petals. Petals with “blue and white” and “ruby red” colors were preferred by judges of the sensory preference test. These results indicate that the pansy flower serves not only as a decorative ingredient in the culinary dishes, but also as a potential functional food.