Trace Elements in Edible Flowers from Italy: Further Insights into Health Benefits and Risks to Consumers
The use of edible flowers in cooking dates back to ancient times, but recently it is gaining success among the consumers, increasingly attentive to healthy and sustainable foods of high quality, without neglecting taste, flavour, and visual appeal. The present study aims to deepen the knowledge rega...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-06-01
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| Series: | Molecules |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/25/12/2891 |
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| author | Giuliana Drava Valeria Iobbi Rafaël Govaerts Vincenzo Minganti Andrea Copetta Barbara Ruffoni Angela Bisio |
| author_facet | Giuliana Drava Valeria Iobbi Rafaël Govaerts Vincenzo Minganti Andrea Copetta Barbara Ruffoni Angela Bisio |
| author_sort | Giuliana Drava |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The use of edible flowers in cooking dates back to ancient times, but recently it is gaining success among the consumers, increasingly attentive to healthy and sustainable foods of high quality, without neglecting taste, flavour, and visual appeal. The present study aims to deepen the knowledge regarding the mineral composition of edible flowers, an aspect not widely investigated in scientific literature. The concentrations of Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, V, and Zn have been determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP OES) in flowers belonging to a wide variety of species. The study highlights that some floral species are characterized by significantly higher concentrations of certain trace elements, e.g., the flowers of <i>Acmella oleracea</i> for Mn, those of basil (<i>Ocimum basilicum</i>) and of pumpkins (<i>Cucurbita moschata</i> and <i>C. pepo</i>) for Cu and Sr, and those of orange daylily (<i>Hemerocallis fulva</i>) for Ni. Potentially toxic elements are present at low concentrations, often below the limit of the detection for Cd, Co, Ni, V. In all samples, Cd and Pb are well below the maximum permitted levels in foodstuffs. It can be concluded that the edible flowers analyzed can be considered a good source of essential elements and do not present risks for the consumer health as for the mineral composition. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:55:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-10d0e10c3c88466cb23583cf23525eed |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1420-3049 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:55:59Z |
| publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj.art-10d0e10c3c88466cb23583cf23525eed2023-11-20T04:45:04ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492020-06-012512289110.3390/molecules25122891Trace Elements in Edible Flowers from Italy: Further Insights into Health Benefits and Risks to ConsumersGiuliana Drava0Valeria Iobbi1Rafaël Govaerts2Vincenzo Minganti3Andrea Copetta4Barbara Ruffoni5Angela Bisio6Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università degli Studi di Genova, Viale Cembrano 4, 16148 Genova, ItalyDipartimento di Farmacia, Università degli Studi di Genova, Viale Cembrano 4, 16148 Genova, ItalyBiodiversity Informatics and Spatial Analysis, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Jodrell Laboratory, Kew Road, Richmond TW9 3DS, UKDipartimento di Farmacia, Università degli Studi di Genova, Viale Cembrano 4, 16148 Genova, ItalyCREA Centro di Ricerca Orticoltura e Florovivaismo, Corso Inglesi 508, 18038 Sanremo, IM, ItalyCREA Centro di Ricerca Orticoltura e Florovivaismo, Corso Inglesi 508, 18038 Sanremo, IM, ItalyDipartimento di Farmacia, Università degli Studi di Genova, Viale Cembrano 4, 16148 Genova, ItalyThe use of edible flowers in cooking dates back to ancient times, but recently it is gaining success among the consumers, increasingly attentive to healthy and sustainable foods of high quality, without neglecting taste, flavour, and visual appeal. The present study aims to deepen the knowledge regarding the mineral composition of edible flowers, an aspect not widely investigated in scientific literature. The concentrations of Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, V, and Zn have been determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP OES) in flowers belonging to a wide variety of species. The study highlights that some floral species are characterized by significantly higher concentrations of certain trace elements, e.g., the flowers of <i>Acmella oleracea</i> for Mn, those of basil (<i>Ocimum basilicum</i>) and of pumpkins (<i>Cucurbita moschata</i> and <i>C. pepo</i>) for Cu and Sr, and those of orange daylily (<i>Hemerocallis fulva</i>) for Ni. Potentially toxic elements are present at low concentrations, often below the limit of the detection for Cd, Co, Ni, V. In all samples, Cd and Pb are well below the maximum permitted levels in foodstuffs. It can be concluded that the edible flowers analyzed can be considered a good source of essential elements and do not present risks for the consumer health as for the mineral composition.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/25/12/2891essential elementsICP OESmetalsmineral compositiontoxic elements |
| spellingShingle | Giuliana Drava Valeria Iobbi Rafaël Govaerts Vincenzo Minganti Andrea Copetta Barbara Ruffoni Angela Bisio Trace Elements in Edible Flowers from Italy: Further Insights into Health Benefits and Risks to Consumers Molecules essential elements ICP OES metals mineral composition toxic elements |
| title | Trace Elements in Edible Flowers from Italy: Further Insights into Health Benefits and Risks to Consumers |
| title_full | Trace Elements in Edible Flowers from Italy: Further Insights into Health Benefits and Risks to Consumers |
| title_fullStr | Trace Elements in Edible Flowers from Italy: Further Insights into Health Benefits and Risks to Consumers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Trace Elements in Edible Flowers from Italy: Further Insights into Health Benefits and Risks to Consumers |
| title_short | Trace Elements in Edible Flowers from Italy: Further Insights into Health Benefits and Risks to Consumers |
| title_sort | trace elements in edible flowers from italy further insights into health benefits and risks to consumers |
| topic | essential elements ICP OES metals mineral composition toxic elements |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/25/12/2891 |
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