Nutraceutical potential, and antioxidant and antibacterial properties of Quararibea funebris flowers.

ABSTRACT

The flowers of Quararibea funebris tree are an important component of tejate, a traditional Mexican beverage. The flowers exhibited a high concentration of total polyphenolic compounds, total carotenoids, and vitamin C. UPLC analysis revealed the presence of salicylic acid, kaemferol-3-O-glucoside, trans-cinnamic acid, rutin, scopoletin, l-phenylalanine, 4-coumaric acid and quercetin-3-glucoside, among others metabolites. The flowers exhibited volatile compounds as isolongifolene, α-cedrene, 2,5,5-trimethyl-2,3,4,5,6,7-hexahydro-1H-2,4a-ethanonaphthalene, while that linoleic acid, palmitic acid, and linolenic acid were the major fatty acids present in the oil extract. Magnesium, potassium, and calcium were the minerals most abundant in the flowers. In addition the methanolic extract of the flowers exhibited antimicrobial properties against the tested pathogenic microbial strains. In conclusion, these results showed that the Q. funebris flowers not only have an aromatic and flavoring power for the Tejate beverage, but also contains compounds with antioxidant, antimicrobial, and nutraceutical potential, which helps to explain its therapeutic uses.