Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal.
Department of Plant Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
Molecules. 2021 Nov 17;26(22):6940. doi: 10.3390/molecules26226940.
Edible flowers are becoming very popular, as consumers are seeking healthier and more attractive food products that can improve their diet aesthetics and diversify their dietary sources of micronutrients. The great variety of flowers that can be eaten is also associated with high variability in chemical composition, especially in bioactive compounds content that may significantly contribute to human health. The advanced analytical techniques allowed us to reveal the chemical composition of edible flowers and identify new compounds and effects that were not known until recently. Considering the numerous species of edible flowers, the present review aims to categorize the various species depending on their chemical composition and also to present the main groups of compounds that are usually present in the species that are most commonly used for culinary purposes. Moreover, special attention is given to those species that contain potentially toxic or poisonous compounds as their integration in human diets should be carefully considered. In conclusion, the present review provides useful information regarding the chemical composition and the main groups of chemical compounds that are present in the flowers of the most common species.
可食用花卉越来越受欢迎，因为消费者正在寻找更健康、更具吸引力的食品，这些食品可以改善他们的饮食美学，使他们的饮食来源多样化，摄入更多的微量营养素。可食用花卉种类繁多，其化学成分也存在很大差异，特别是生物活性化合物的含量可能对人类健康有显著影响。先进的分析技术使我们能够揭示可食用花卉的化学成分，并发现新的化合物和作用，这些化合物和作用直到最近才被人们所了解。鉴于有众多的可食用花卉种类，本综述旨在根据其化学成分对各种花卉进行分类，并介绍通常用于烹饪目的的最常见种类中存在的主要化合物类群。此外，特别关注那些含有潜在有毒或有毒化合物的花卉，因为这些花卉应谨慎纳入人类饮食。总之，本综述提供了有关最常见花卉的化学成分和主要化合物类群的有用信息。
