Sequential steps of the incorporation of bioactive plant extracts from wild Italian Plantago coronopus L. and Cichorium intybus L. leaves in fresh egg pasta.

The application of bioactive extracts from Cichorium intybus L. and Plantago coronopus L. species were incorporated as a functional ingredient in fresh egg pasta (Fettuccine). In that sense, a pasta making procedure was accessed using different concentrations of the plant extracts (0.25-0.63 mg/g), drying times (20-420 min) and drying temperatures (40-90 °C; only for P. coronopus enriched pasta), to screen an optimal factor selection in the pasta making procedure and to enhance the bioactive properties of the final product. In the chemical characterisation of the plant extracts, twenty-five phenolic compounds were tentatively identified (twenty compounds belonging to phenolic acid and phenylpropanoid classes and five belonging to the flavonoid sub-class) and a strong synergy between the plant extract concentration and the drying time was showed. The analysed antioxidant properties were enhanced by the phenolic compounds of the extracts and a new functional food with higher bioactive quality was developed.

Comparative phytochemical profile of the elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum var. holmense) and the common garlic (Allium sativum) from the Val di Chiana area (Tuscany, Italy) before and after in vitro gastrointestinal digestion.

This study is aimed to comparatively investigate the phytochemical profiles, focusing on the nutritional and phytochemical properties of common garlic (Allium sativum L.; CG) and elephant garlic (EG) (Allium ampeloprasum var. holmense) collected from the Val di Chiana area (Tuscany, Italy). The results showed a lower amount of fibers, demonstrating a higher digestibility of the bulb, and sulfur-containing compounds in EG rather than in CG. Untargeted metabolomic profiling followed by supervised and unsupervised statistics allowed understanding the differences in phytochemical composition among the two bulbs, both as raw bulbs, processed following the in vitro gastrointestinal digestion process. Typical sulfur-containing compounds, such as alliin and N-gamma-glutamyl-S-allyl cysteine, could notably be detected in lower amounts in EG. EG maintains a distinct phytochemical signature during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. Our findings support the distinct sensorial attributes of the bulbs.

Mediterranean Wild Edible Plants: Weeds or "New Functional Crops"?

The Mediterranean basin is a biodiversity hotspot of wild edible species, and their therapeutic and culinary uses have long been documented. Owing to the growing demand for wild edible species, there are increasing concerns about the safety, standardization, quality, and availability of products derived from these species collected in the wild. An efficient cultivation method for the species having promising nutraceutical values is highly desirable. In this backdrop, a hydroponic system could be considered as a reproducible and efficient agronomic practice to maximize yield, and also to selectively stimulate the biosynthesis of targeted metabolites. The aim of this report is to review the phytochemical and toxic compounds of some potentially interesting Mediterranean wild edible species. Herein, after a deep analysis of the literature, information on the main bioactive compounds, and some possibly toxic molecules, from fifteen wild edible species have been compiled. The traditional recipes prepared with these species are also listed. In addition, preliminary data about the performance of some selected species are also reported. In particular, germination tests performed on six selected species revealed that there are differences among the species, but not with crop species. "Domestication" of wild species seems a promising approach for exploiting these "new functional foods".