Effects of gamma and electron-beam irradiation on the individual phenolics of Viola tricolor L. edible flowers.
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resumo
Edible flowers are being used in culinary preparations to improve the sensorial
and nutritional qualities of food, besides improving human health due to the profusion
in bioactive compounds [1]. Nevertheless, edible flowers are highly perishable and
must be free of insects, which is difficult because they are usually cultivated without
using pesticides [2]. Food irradiation is an economically viable technology to extend
shelf life of foods, improving their hygiene and quality, while disinfesting insects [3].
The efficiency and safety of radiation processing (using Co-60 or electronaccelerators)
have been approved by legal authorities (FDA, USDA, WHO, FAO), as
also by the scientific community, based on extensive research [4].
Viola tricolor L. (heartseases), from Violaceae family, is one of the most popular
edible flowers. Apart from being used as food, it has also been applied for its medicinal
properties, mainly due to their biological activity and phenolic composition [5].
Herein, the phenolic compounds were analyzed by HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS and
linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was performed to compare the results from flowers
submitted to different irradiation doses and technologies (Co-60 and electron-beam).
Quercetin-3-O-(6-O-rhamnosylglucoside)-7-O-rhamnoside (Figure 1) was the most
abundant compound, followed by quercetin-3-O-rutinoside and acetyl-quercetin-3-O (6-O-rhamnosylglucoside)-7-O-rhamnoside. In general, irradiated samples (mostly
with 1 kGy) showed the highest phenolic compounds content. The LDA outcomes indicated that differences among phenolic compounds
effectively discriminate the assayed doses and technologies, defining which variables
contributed mostly to that separation. This information might be useful to define which
dose and/or technology optimizes the content in a specific phenolic compound.
Overall, irradiation did not negatively affect the levels of phenolic compounds,
providing the possibility of its application to expand the shelf life of V. tricolor and
highlighting new commercial solutions for this functional food.
