Flowers of the genus Impatiens are classified as edible; however, their inclusion in the human
diet is not yet a common practice. Its attractive colours have stirred great interest by the food industry.
In this sense, rose (BP) and orange (BO) I. balsamina flowers were nutritionally studied, followed by
an in-depth chemical study profile. The non-anthocyanin and anthocyanin profiles of extracts of
both flower varieties were also determined by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled
to a diode array and mass spectrometry detector (HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS). The results demonstrated
that both varieties presented significant amounts of phenolic compounds, having identified nine
non-anthocyanin compounds and 14 anthocyanin compounds. BP extract stood out in its bioactive
properties (antioxidant and antimicrobial potential) and was selected for incorporation in “bombocas”
filling. Its performance as a colouring ingredient was compared with the control formulations (white
filling) and with E163 (anthocyanins) colorant. The incorporation of the natural ingredient did not
cause changes in the chemical and nutritional composition of the product; and although the colour
conferred was lighter than presented by the formulation with E163 (suggesting a more natural aspect),
the higher antioxidant activity could meet the expectations of the current high-demand consumer.
This research was funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through
the Regional Operational Program North 2020, within the scope of Project GreenHealth—Digital
strategies in biological assets to improve well-being and promote green health, Norte-01-0145-FEDER-
000042. This work has also been supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological
Development of the Republic of Serbia (451-03-68/2020-14/200007). The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT,
Portugal) for financial support by national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020); national
funding by F.C.T. and P.I., through the institutional scientific employment program-contract for
M.I. Dias, C. Pereira, R.C. Calhelha, and L. Barros contracts, and through the individual scientific
employment program-contract for M. Carocho contract (CEECIND/00831/2018) and to the Project
Mobilizador Norte-01-0247-FEDER-024479: ValorNatural® for the contract of E. Pereira.
