Phenolic profile and nutritional value of Dahlia x hortorum flowers

Abstract

The consumption of edible flowers has increased the search for new species to improve their nutritional impact. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the phenolic profile and nutritional value of the flowers of some Dahlia x hortorum clones (C1Var – variegated, C2Gui – cherry, C3Roj – red, C4Nar – orange, C5Ama – yellow, C6Fuc – fuchsia) and C7Ros – pink). The experiment was conducted at the Department of Plant Science, Universidad Autónoma Chapingo, Mexico, under a completely randomized experimental design with three replications. Phenolic acids (gallic, caffeic and chlorogenic) and flavonoids (quercetin and hesperidin) were detected. Similar contents of gallic acid (between 1.91 and 3.19 µg·g-1) were found in C7Ros, C1Var, C5Ama and C4Nar, where C1Var also stood out for the presence of quercetin (81.46 µg·g-1). The highest incidence of caffeic acid and hesperidin was found in C2Gui and C6Fuc. In general, C1Var showed a high percentage of crude fiber, crude fat and protein, although the last one was similar to C7Ros and C5Ama (13.68 and 13.72 µg·g-1, respectively). Likewise, C2Gui, C4Nar and C3Roj showed variation with respect to total carbohydrates (64.09, 61.64 and 62.37 %, respectively). According to the results, dahlia ligulate flowers have a significant content of phenolic acids, flavonoids, fiber and protein, as well as a variable caloric level, so they can be considered as a functional food and be integrated into daily intake.