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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Cynara cardunculus L., commonly known as cardoon, is a perennial plant that belongs to
the Asteraceae family. Native to the Mediterranean basin, it is also found in other regions of the world
such as Argentina, Africa, Chile, China, United States, and Peru [1]. It has been used in folk medicine
due to its diuretic and dyspeptic properties, such as liver tonic and in hepatic disease treatments [2].
Its flowers are the most commonly used part due to its milk coagulating properties (vegetable rennet in
goat and sheep cheeses manufacture), but its immature heads are also widely consumed as food in
several dishes. In recent years, the expansion of different industrial applications of crop residues (e.g.
forage, paper pulp industry, or biodiesel and energy production) has been a key lever to the growth of
Mediterranean cardoon cultivation [3].
Cardoon is considered a functional food as a result of its richness in compounds with high addedvalue
and proved health benefits [1,4]. Several studies make reference to its high content in phenolic
compounds, such as phenolic acids and flavonoids including anthocyanins. The polyphenolic content
of different plant parts of this species is strongly influenced by environmental conditions and harvest
stage. Therefore, studies regarding the influence of these factors are extremely important to better
understand the benefits associated to this plant. In the present study, the phenolic compounds
composition of different plant tissues of cardoon (petioles, blades, heads, bracts and seeds) was
analysed. Samples of cultivated cardoon (var. altilis) were collected in Greece in June 2018. The
phenolic composition was analysed in hydroethanolic extracts by HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS.
Cardoon petioles, blades, heads, bracts and seeds presented differences in the phenolic composition,
as also in their contents of individual compounds. Blades showed the highest number of phenolic
compounds, being identified thirteen molecules. In petioles and bracts, a total of eleven phenolic acids
and flavonoids were found, while in heads and seeds a total of nine and seven molecules were
profiled, respectively. Blades were the plant part with the highest concentration of phenolic
compounds, followed by bracts, petioles, seeds and heads. Caffeoylquinic and dicaffeoylquinic acids
were the main compounds present in all the studied tissues.
The results obtained demonstrated that phenolic compounds allocation varies among cardoon plant
parts harvested at the same time period, with blades being the part that showed the highest
abundance and variety of phenolic compounds.
Description
Keywords
Cynara cardunculus L. var. altilis Phenolic compounds
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Mandim, Filipa; Barros, Lillian; Dias, Maria Inês; Petropoulos, Spyridon A.; Santos-Buelga, Celestino; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R. (2019). Phenolic compounds profiles of different parts of the plant Cynara cardunculus L. var. Altilis. In Congreso Nacional de Biotecnología. Vigo