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Tocopherol composition and antioxidant activity of Spanish wild vegetables

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Abstract

Traditional use of noncultivated vegetables has decreased with the development of agriculture and global supply chains. However, some species are still consumed as part of our traditional Mediterranean diet. Plants are among the most important sources of natural antioxidants for retarding lipid oxidative rancidity in foods or for pharmaceutical applications against chronic diseases related to free radicals production. The present study reports tocopherols composition and antioxidant activity of eight wild greens traditionally used in Spain. According to the edible part consumed, two groups were differentiated. Leafy vegetables whose young stems with leaves are consumed (Apium nodiflorum (L.) Lag., Foeniculum vulgare Mill., Montia fontana L. and Silene vulgaris (Moench) Garcke), and wild asparagus whose young shoots with leaf buds scarcely developed are eaten (Asparagus acutifolius L., Bryonia dioica Jacq., Humulus lupulus L. and Tamus communis L.). Among the leafy vegetables, Silene vulgaris and Apium nodiflorum presented the highest antioxidant capacity and antioxidants contents. Among the wild asparagus, the highest antioxidant capacity was obtained in Humulus lupulus.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to ERDF and the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (CGL2006-09546/BOS) and to Foundation for Science and Technology (Portugal) for financial support. The authors also thank Ramón Morales, Manuel Pardo de Santayana, Laura Aceituno, Susana González and Javier Tardío for their collaboration in gathering and preparing the samples, and also to Javier Tardío for coordination and for checking the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Investigação de Montanha, ESA, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, Apartado 1172, 5301-855, Bragança, Portugal

    Patricia Morales, Ana Maria Carvalho & Isabel C. F. R. Ferreira

  2. Dpto. de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Internacional Valenciana (VIU), Calle José Pradas Gallen, s/n 2ºPiso, 12006, Castellón de la Plana, Spain

    Patricia Morales

  3. Dpto. Nutrición y Bromatología II, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Pza Ramón y Cajal, s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Mª Cortes Sánchez-Mata & Montaña Cámara

  4. Instituto Madrileño de Investigación y Desarrollo Rural, Agrario y Alimentario (IMIDRA), Finca “El Encín”, Apartado 127, 28800, Alcalá de Henares, Spain

    María Molina

Authors
  1. Patricia Morales
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  2. Ana Maria Carvalho
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  3. Mª Cortes Sánchez-Mata
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  4. Montaña Cámara
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  5. María Molina
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  6. Isabel C. F. R. Ferreira
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Isabel C. F. R. Ferreira.

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Morales, P., Carvalho, A.M., Sánchez-Mata, M.C. et al. Tocopherol composition and antioxidant activity of Spanish wild vegetables. Genet Resour Crop Evol 59, 851–863 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-011-9726-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-011-9726-1

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