Global Journal of Science Frontier Research, D: Agriculture and Veterinary, Volume 22 Issue 1

Tamara Fukalova Fukalova α , María Dolores García Martínez σ & Maria Dolores Raigón Jiménez ρ Abstract- Wild plants have received considerable attention regarding ethnobotanical and pharmacological aspects. However, the potential of wild edible plants in terms of their nutritional and bioactive benefits has been investigated in only a few cases, despite being an important food sourc e. This study aims to be a reference to promote the inclusion of two undervalued food plants as a nutritional alternative for balanced and healthy diets. The nutritional composition and bioactive components of Poriphyllum ruderale and Portulaca oleracea , two Mediterranean species, have been evaluated under wild and organic farming conditions. The quantification of nutrients and bioactive compounds was carried out with leaves and small stems of fresh plants. The proximal and mineral composition was determined with the official methods. The analysis of antioxidants was carried out with the DPPH technique and of total phenolic compounds by Folin- Ciocalteu. Other chemical components such as nitrates, pH and total acidity were determined. The most representative nutritional components were crude fiber and carbohydrates under wild conditions for P. ruderale and under cultivated conditions for P. olerace a. The most abundant mineral macroelements were calcium and magnesium in cultivated P. ruderale and wild P. olerace a. For both species, the outstanding microelement was iron in wild conditions. In addition, both species stood out for a high content of antioxidants and chlorophyllin wild conditions. Finally, these undervalued plants showed significant nutrient content and are a good source of antioxidants and phenolic compounds for a healthy diet. The results suggest that both undervalued plants have a considerable nutritional potential and high content of bioactive compounds, highlighting antioxidants, they also have the potential to diversify production and as an attractive ingredient in healthy diets. Keywords: undervalued species, nutritional composition, bioactive compounds, P. ruderale, P.oleracea. I. I ntroduction mong the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the third is focused on health and wellness (ONU, 2015). Undervalued wild species could be a means of sustainable use of local resources and diversify healthy diets, contributing to this SDG. The Mediterranean diet as a world heritage (González-Turmo and Medina, 2012) stands out for the consumption of wild vegetables that are still part of traditional diets. It is especially worth remembering the health benefits provided by the Mediterranean diet and on which several nutritional studies corroborate (Mosconi et al., 2014; Safouris et al., 2015; Gardener and Caunca, 2018; Gubert et al., 2020). Many of these wild species are appreciated for their organoleptic and nutritional-medicinal properties. However, globally its uses have often been relegated to a local environment. The abandonment of species that at some points were an important component of food, gives them the status of undervalued or forgotten, increasing food poverty and loss of agrobiodiversity heritage. At the same time, the loss of these resources and the absence of adequate links between conservation and their use are a major danger for future food security (Torrija-Isasa and Matallana-González, 2016). Today, agricultural crops have displaced many previously known and appreciated wild species. However, traditions have made it possible for some wild plant resources to continue to be present in the diet of many people and to form part of traditional gastronomy (Tardío et al ., 2006). In this context, preserving the selection of traditional local products, the transmission of knowledge, traditional culinary activities are part of the resilience to the current globalized and changing world. In addition, wild plants contain phytochemical compounds that, in combination with nutritional compounds, act synergistically, improving the effects for the prevention of many chronic diseases(van Breda y de Kok, 2018;Demasi et al ., 2021). As Medina (2017) points out, the food heritage (Mediterranean diet in this case), must be constantly recreated, and this within cultural frameworks in continuous evolution, which demands adaptation capacity. In this way, all the studies that advance in the knowledge of traditional foods consumed locally are very valuable from the cultural and nutritional point of A 1 Year 2022 33 © 2022 Global Journals Global Journal of Science Frontier Research Volume XXII Issue ersion I VI ( D ) Author α : Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Central del Ecuador (UCE), av. Universitaria, 170521 Quito-Ecuador. Author σ ρ : Instituto de Conservación y Mejora de la Agrodiversidad Valenciana (COMAV), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera 14, 46022 Valencia-Spain. e-mail: tfukalova@hotmail.com Influence of Cultivation Conditions on the Nutritional Composition and Bioactive Components of Two Undervalued Edible Plants ( Porophyllum Ruderale and Portulaca Oleracea )