Nutritional and Bioactive Properties of Edible Flowers
Summary
Edible flowers represent a rich and underexploited resource in human nutrition and health promotion. They provide essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre and organic acids, often in proportions comparable to conventional fruits and vegetables. Beyond macronutrients, flowers accumulate a diverse array of bioactive compounds, including polyphenols, flavonoids and carotenoids, which confer antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities. These compounds can scavenge free radicals, modulate enzyme activities and interact with cellular pathways, supporting their classification as functional food ingredients or nutraceuticals. The compositional profile varies widely among species, developmental stage and cultivation conditions, offering opportunities to tailor floral ingredients to specific dietary or therapeutic goals. In cuisine, blossoms enhance sensory appeal and may serve as vehicles for delivering health-promoting phytochemicals, while in agriculture and horticulture they present novel value-added products with global commercial significance.
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Nutritional and Bioactive Properties of Edible Flowers publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in nutritional and bioactive properties of edible flowers across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Polyphenols: A diverse class of plant secondary metabolites characterised by multiple phenolic units, known for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.
Carotenoids: Lipid-soluble pigments (e.g. β-carotene, lutein) with antioxidant properties and roles as vitamin A precursors.
Antioxidant capacity: The ability of a substance to neutralise free radicals or inhibit oxidative processes, often measured by assays such as ABTS, ORAC or FRAP.
Functional food: A food that provides health benefits beyond basic nutrition, typically by delivering bioactive compounds.
Organic acids: Small molecular weight acids (e.g. citric, malic) contributing to flavour, pH regulation and metal chelation in plant tissues.
References
- Sensorial analysis of factors influencing consumers’ perceptions toward the consumption of edible flowers in Iran. Journal of Agriculture and Food Research (2023).
- Functional, Antioxidant, Antibacterial, and Antifungal Activity of Edible Flowers. Antioxidants (2024).
- Exploring wild edible flowers as a source of bioactive compounds: New perspectives in horticulture. Folia Horticulturae (2021).
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