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Edible Weeds in Morocco

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Abbes Tanji
Abbes Tanji
Fatima Nassif
Fatima Nassif
Fatima Nassif
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Abstract

Morocco has a large number of edible weeds, but seventeen are mostly eaten by the population, collected for sale in different provinces, or even exported. Eight weeds have edible shoots while the others have edible stems, fruits, roots, flowers, or petioles. Thirteen weed species are marketed either seasonally or throughout the year and generate money for the people. Morocco's tassel grapehyacinth bulbs and products extracted from pennyroyal mint are exported. Further research should focus on the nutritive value of these weeds and their economic role in the country.
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Edible
Weeds in Morocco1
ABBES
TANJI
and
FATIMA
NASSIF
Abstract.
Morocco has a large number of edible weeds, but seventeen are mostly
eaten
by the
population, collected for sale in different provinces, or even exported.
Eight
weeds have edible
shoots
while
the
others
have edible stems, fruits, roots,
flowers,
or
petioles.
Thirteen
weed species are marketed
either seasonall y or
throughout
the
year
and
generate
money for the people. Morocco's tassel grapehyac-
inth
bulb s and products extracted from pennyroyal mint are exported. Further research should focus on
the nutritive value of
these
weeds and their economic role in the country.
Additional
inde x words:
Food,
collection,
sale, export.
Introduction
The
composite
list
of weeds in Morocco cites 838
species, subspecies, and varieties
(2).
Despite the negative
effects of
these
plants on cultivated crops, some of them
are use d by the population for therapeutic
treatments
(3,
15)
and for food. Moreover, weeds constitute a source of
income fo r an increasing number of
people
in the country
who
collect,
sell,
and process
these
plants.
The
present
note
examines the commonly edible weeds
in
Morocco,
their e#en parts,
and
the different seasons they
are mostly
available
on the market.
Botanical
Characterization
Morocco has a large number of edible weeds, but sev-
enteen
are mostly
eaten
by the population
(Table
1).
Some
of
these
weeds are collected for sale
in
different provinces
or
even
exported.
Ten
of
these
weeds are annuals
arid
seven
perennials.
Annuals.
Centaury is a member of the Asteraceae
family
which
grows up to 1.50
m
tall,
and flowers generally from
February
t o
April.
It is a troublesome weed in
small
grain
cereals in the Settat province and probably
other
areas.
Common purslan e is
a
prostrate
member
of
the
Portula-
caceae
family
with
a fleshy stem and succulent leaves. It
grows in irrigated fields and gardens, particularly during
summer
(May
to September). It is perceived as a weed in
Morocco and 38
other
countries
(10).
Com
carawa y is an annual aromatic species in the
Apiaceae
family
which
grows up to
1
m
and flowers from
'Received
for publication
Mar.
3, 1995 and in revised form June 14, 1995.
2Weed
Scientist and Sociologist, respectively, Institut National de la
Recher-
che Agronomique,
BP
589 Settat, Morocco.
February
to
April.
It is considered as a weed in Morocco
and
five
other
countries
(10).
Mallows
include
five
edible species from
the
Malvaceae
family.
But the most common species is little mallow
which
i s found
in
Morocco and
15
other
countries
(10).
Milkvetch
is a member of the Fabaceae
family
which
grows up to 1 m and flowers from February to
April.
Flowers
an d
pods
are clustered
in
2
to
15
in
the
upper
parts
of
racemes. Pods are 2 to 5 cm by 0.5 cm.
This
weed is
found i n mediterranean countries
(16).
Spiny
emex is a member of the Polygonaceae
family
with
prostrate
stems of
1
to
2
m
in
diameter
and
spiny
fruits.
Staminate flower s are clustered at the
upper
part of ra-
cemes and pistillate
flowers
at the lower part.
As
a weed,
it
is found in Morocco and eight
other
countries
(10).
Table J. Common name and scientific name of edible
weeds
in Morocco.
Bayer
Common
name Scientific name code8
Bull
mallow Malva nicaeensis
All.
MALNI
Centaury
Centaurea
diluta
Aiton
Common
purslane Portulaca oleracea
L.
POROL
Com
caraway Ridolfia
segetum
(L.)
Moris
CRYRI
Dwarf
artichoke Cynara humilis
L.
CYUHU
Dwarf
mallow Malva rotundifolia
L.
MALPU
Friar's
cowl Arisarum vulgare
Targ.-Tozz.
AAUVU
High
mallow Malva
sylvestris
L.
MALSI
Little
mallow Malva parviflora
L.
MALPA
Milkvetch
Astragalus boeticus
L.
Pennyroyal
mint Mentha pulegium
L.
MENPU
Smaller
tree-mallow Lavatera cretica
L.
LVACR
Spanish
salsify Scolymus hispanicus
L.
SCYHI
Spiny
emex
Emex
spinosa
(L.)
Campd.
EMESP
Tassel
grapehyacinth
Muscari
comosum
(L.)
Mill.
MUSCO
White
asparagus Asparagus albus
L.
ZIPLO
Wild
jujube
Ziziphus lotus
(L.)
Lam.
ZIPLO
aBayer ,
AG.
1992.
Important
Crops
of the
World
and
Their
Weeds.
Published
by Busines s
Group
Crop
Protection,
Leverkusen,
Federal
Republic
of
Germany,
second edition , 1682 p.
617
Weed
Technology. 1995.
Volume
9:617-620
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0890037X00023939
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TAN
JI
AND
NASSIF:
EDIBLE
WEEDS
IN
MOROCCO
Perennials,
Dwarf
artichoke is a perennial member of the
Asteraceae
family
which
grows
up
to
50
cm
tall.
Each
plant
gives
usually one or two heads. It flowers between March
and June.
This
weed is found also in Spain and Portugal
(16).
Friar's
cowl
is a
small
perennial species
in
the Araceae
family
wit h
only one
sagittate-ovate
leaf, rarely two, per
plant. It
propagates
only from tubers. It is common in
mediterranean countrie s
(16).
Pennyroyal
mint is a rhizomatous member of the
Lamiaceae
family
which
usually
grows
in
wet sites
includ-
ing
ditches, stream banks, and lakeshores.
Flowers
appear
from
Ma y to September.
This
aromatic plant is cultivated
in
some areas of
Morocco.
As a weed, it is found in six
other
countries
(10).
Spanish
salsify
is a perennial (sometimes biennial or
even
annual ) member of the Asteraceae
family
with
rigid
stems an d
spiny
leaves and
can
be up to 1.5
m
tall.
Flowers
usually
appear
from March to
May.
This
weed is found in
Morocco and seven
other
countries
(10).
Tassel
grapehyacinth is a perennial species in the
Liliaceae
family
with
scaly bulbs and violate flowers. It
propagates
from
bulbs.
Each
plant has
three
or four
leaves.
Upper flowers of a
cylindrical
raceme are sterile.
This
species is considered a weed in Morocco and
five
other
countries
(10).
White
asparagus is a thorny perennial member of the
Liliaceae
family
with
white woody stems up to
1
m high.
This
weed
is
common
in
Morocco
and
other
Mediterranean
countries
(16).
Wild
jujube is a deciduous thorny shrub in the Rham-
naceae
family
with
ovate
leaves
of
1
to
2
cm.
Native
stands
produce
flower s and fruits from
July
to October.
Brown
globular fruits are 1 cm. Outside Morocco, this plant is
found in North
Africa
and
other
Mediterranean countries
(16).
Edible
Parts
Table
2 indicates the different
parts
that
are
eaten
from
each weed.
Eight
weed species have edible shoots,
three
edible stems ,
two
edible
fruits,
two
edible roots,
two
edible
petioles, and one edible flowers.
Shoot
Five
species from the
mallow
family
provide edible
shoots. I t
is
not easy to identify the different species at the
vegetative
stag e
which
is the
best
time for their collection
for
food.
Mallows
emerge
immediately after the
first
fall
rains
i n October or November. In Morocco, only young
Table
2.
Part
used of commonly eaten
weeds
in Morocco.
Common
name Root Petiole Stem Flower Shoot
Fruit
Centaury
x
Commo n
purslane x
Com
caraway x
Dwarf
artichok e
x x
Friar's
cowl x
Mallows
(all 5 species) x
Milkvetch
x
Pennyroyal
mint x
Spanish
salsify x
Spiny
emex x
Tassel
grapehyacint h x
White
asparagus x
Wild
jujube
x
stems an d leaves are
cut,
steamed, and prepared
with
green
olives,
garlic, olive oil, and spices. In
other
countries,
mallows
are served as salads
(13)
or cooked
in
varied
ways
(7,
8,9,12) .
Fresh
and dry
shoots
of pennyroyal mint are always
available
in the market.
They
are either boiled
with
milk
or combined
with
tea
[Camellia
sinensis
(L.)
O.
.Kuntze]
or spearmint
(Mentha
spicata
L.)
to make hot tea. Penny-
royal
mint is also used to perfume tea when spearmint or
wormwood
(Artemisia
absinthium
L.)
is not available.
Tender
shoot s
of white asparagus are collected, boiled,
and served as salads. Shoots are generally available from
October to February.
Shoots of common purslane are collected in summer/
from
irrigate d fields. In Morocco, they are cooked in the
same wa y as mallows. In
other
countries, common
purslane
shoots
are used in salads, French and
Italian
soups, an d
pickles
(5,
13, 14).
Stem.
Youn g
stems of centaury, com caraway, and spiny
emex are peeled and
eaten
raw.
They
are generally
avail-
able
in
cultivated fields between February and
April.
Fruit.
Milkvetch
pods
are collected and
eaten
raw.
Chil-
dren, particularly shepherds, enjoy collecting and eating
milkvetch
fruits between February and
April.
Tender
pods
are totally consumed while mature
pods
are chewed,
sucked,
an d the rest is discarded. In an ongoing study by
the authors, mature
milkvetch
seeds
contain 4.14% nitro-
gen,
0.37%
phosphorus,
0.84%
potassium,
0.16%
calcium,
and 0.20% sodium.
Wild
jujube fruits are collected at maturity (September-
October) fro m plants growing in native stands. The peri-
carp is edible but the seed is discarded.
Lechevalier
(11)
618
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9. Issue 3 (July-September) 1995
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WEED
TECHNOLOGY
reported
that
fruits of
wild
jujube are consumed
in
Algeria,
Tunisia,
and
Syria.
Root.
In Morocco,
tubers
of
Friar's
cowl
are associated
with
famine periods and harsh times during the early
1940s.
They
were washed, dried, and
milled
for bread
making.
Moroccan
tubers
contain 38% starch,
1%
sugar,
and 0.76% nitrogen
(4).
Flowers.
Dwarf
artichoke
heads
are
eaten
either raw or
boiled,
fleshy receptacles are cooked
with
meat.
The
flow-
ers are used in coagulating
milk.
They
are available be-
tween February and
April.
Petiole.
Leaves
of
Spanish
salsify
and
dwarf
artichoke are
collected and petioles are
eaten
either fresh
or
cooked
with
meat.
While
Spanish
salsify
is found in the market from
October t o
January,
dwarf
artichoke is found from Febru-
ary
to
April.
Economic
Importanc e
Out of
17
weed species,
13
are marketed either season-
ally
or
throughout
the year
(Table
3).
In addition to their
use as food, some weeds have
become
a source of money
for
people. Furthermore, tassel grapehyacinth and penny-
royal
mint contribute to generating foreign currency
through export .
In
Morocco, bulbs of
tassel
grapehyacinth are not
eaten
but collected from cultivated fields between October and
January
and sold for export. In Settat province, tassel
grapehyacinth bulbs are collected and sold by
rural
people
in
local
weekly
markets. Merchants generally purchase
all
available
material on behalf of a few big exporters. Inter-
estingly,
thi s
is
not
a
recent
activity
in
Morocco.
Gattefosse
(6)
reported
that
Morocco's tassel grapehyacinth bulbs
were formall y exported to the United States of
America,
Italy,
and Greece.
Tassel
grapehyacinth bulbs are com-
monly
referred
to
by
custom administration
as
wild
onions.
Continuous removal of tassel grapehyacinth bulbs from
cultivated
fields has led to a drastic reduction of
this
weed
in
the Settat
province.
Due to the 1994-95
drought,
tassel
grapehyacinth bulbs
did
not
grow.
The
last
year's
price
was
2
dirhams per
kilogram
of
bulbs
(1
US
dollar
=
9
Moroccan
dirhams).
Pennyroyal
mint is collected at the vegetative or
flow-
ering
stage
and bundles are sold
throughout
the year.
Bennenfant (1) reported
that
shoots
were collected from
the
Sebou
river
banks
in
the northern
provinces
of
Morocco
and
sol d
to
local
factories for
processing.
In
1972,133
tons
of
pennyroyal extracted compounds were exported to
Table 3. Sales period of commonly edible
weeds
in a normal cropping year in
Morocco.
Seasona
Common
name
Fall
Winter Spring Summer
Tassel
grapehyacinth x x
Pennyroyal
mint x x x x
Mallows
(5 species) x x
Wild
jujube
x x x x
Common
purslane x
White
asparagus x x
Spanish
salsify x x
Dwarf
artichoke
x
Milkvetch
x x
aFall:
September-November;
Winter:
December-February;
Spring:
March-
May;
Summer: June-August.
Spain
an d
other
countries. In winter 1995, one bundle of
pennyroyal
mint is sold at 0.50 to
1
dirham.
Wild
jujube fruits are sold on
sidewalks
in late summer
and
fall.
Fruits
are also found
in
stores
throughout
the year.
In
winte r
1995,
one kilogram of
wild
jujube fruits cost 10
dirhams.
Bundles
of
mallows,
Spanish
salsify,
and white aspara-
gus are
sold
along
roads
and
highways,
and
also
in
markets.
Those
of common purslane are found only in the market
during the summer.
Heads an d leaves of
dwarf
artichoke are sold only in
markets during a limited period of time. In 1994, one
bundle of each of
these
weeds cost 1 to 10 dirhams,
depending o n the size and quality of the plants.
Milkvetch
pods
are assembled
in
bundles and generally
sold
along roads and near schools. It is usually purchased
by
children . The price for one bundle of
milkvetch
fruits
varies
between 0.20 and 0.50 dirhams.
Conclusion
Weeds are not always
bothersome
and have to be de-
stroyed or discarded.
They
can be valuable resources and
have multiple uses. One valuable aspect of weeds is their
use as food. Moreover, weeds can
generate
activity and
money.
As
Emerson said "a weed is a plant whose virtues
have no t yet been discovered"
(17).
This
pape r
has described 17 weed species
that
are used
as food and have economic
value.
These weeds have been
known
fo r their virtues for years
throughout
Morocco.
Further research should focus on the nutritive value of
edible weeds and their economic role.
"'o'ume 9, Issue 3 (July-September) 1995 619
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TANJI
AND
NASSIF:
EDIBLE
WEEDS
IN
MOROCCO
Literature
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C.
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L.
1983. Medicinal Plants of
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A. 1992. Handbook of
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620 Volume 9, Issue 3 (July-September) 1995
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... The listed 81 wild umbellifers traditionally used as food (Table 1) are reduced to 75 taxa suitable for statistically analyses (as explained in the Section 4). These 75 taxa are distributed as follows: 15 taxa in Morocco [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22], 17 taxa in Spain [23][24][25], 6 taxa in Sicily [26][27][28][29], 7 taxa in Southern Italy [30][31][32][33][34], 3 taxa in Albania [32,[34][35][36], 8 taxa in Greece [37,38], 10 taxa in Crete [37,39,40], 5 taxa in Cyprus [37,40], 20 taxa in Turkey (Türkiye) [41][42][43][44][45], 10 taxa in Bulgaria [42,[46][47][48][49][50], 15 taxa in Armenia [51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58], 5 taxa in Syria [59], and 10 taxa in Jordan and Palestine [60][61][62][63] (Figure 2). ...
... From the selected publications, we extracted the information about the wild plants from the family Apiaceae traditionally used as food in Spain [23][24][25], Morocco [16][17][18][19][20][21][22], Sicily [26][27][28][29], Southern Italy [30][31][32][33][34], Albania [32,[34][35][36], Greece [37,38], Crete [37,39,40], Cyprus [37,40], Turkey (Türkiye) [41][42][43][44][45], Bulgaria [42,[46][47][48][49][50], Armenia [51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58], Syria [59], and Jordan and Palestine [60][61][62][63]. We found that there are not enough studies and publications on the wild plants traditionally used as food in several Mediterranean countries such as France, Egypt, Kosovo, North Macedonia, etc., providing sufficient data for the aim of this investigation. ...
Wild Species from the Family Apiaceae, Traditionally Used as Food in Some Mediterranean Countries
Article
Full-text available
  • Aug 2024
Mediterranean countries are a cauldron of cultural exchange, with a strong emphasis on wild plants in cuisine traditions. Many of these plants belong to the family Apiaceae. The common climate determines the common range of distribution. While many plants have wide distribution, the range of distribution of others is restricted to Western Mediterranean or North Africa. This review investigates wild plants from the family Apiaceae traditionally used as food in 13 study sites—11 countries in the Mediterranean and adjacent territories—the mainland and 3 islands. The aim is to trace patterns of native distribution versus consumption. As a result, 81 wild umbellifers are listed, traditionally used as food. Their consumption and distribution patterns are described and discussed. Interestingly in 8 of the 13 study sites (61.5%) are recorded 50 plant taxa (66.7% of all wild umbellifers, traditionally used as food) which are consumed in only one particular country. These are as follows: 8 taxa in Morocco, 9 taxa in Spain, 2 taxa in Sicily, 3 taxa in Bulgaria 3 taxa in Crete, 8 taxa in Armenia, 14 taxa in Turkey, and 3 taxa in Jordan. However, these 50 restrictedly consumed plants are distributed in more than one country (except 15 taxa, which are endemics). Many of the plants that are used in certain countries are not consumed by the neighboring people. The results of the two statistical tests, namely Jaccard index and heatmap clustering (double dendrogram), are discussed. The presence of an outlier, such as Bulgaria, which shares borders, history, and culture with Greece and Turkey, emphasizes the importance of local climate for plant distribution and consumption over cultural interactions. The same was observed for some pairs of countries, such as Spain and Morrocco and Turkey and Armenia, although they had the highest number of common plants that are both distributed and consumed as food.
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... Scolymus hispanicus L. (also known as common golden thistle or Spanish oyster thistle) is a wild annual or perennial herb belonging to the Asteraceae family with wide distribution in the Mediterranean basin (Nebel et al. 2006;Polo et al. 2009;Turner et al. 2011). It is usually found in agricultural ecosystems and is considered a difficult-to-control and noxious weed (Tanji and Nassif 1995;Hadjichambis et al. 2008;Poida et al. 2021). However, although it is an undesirable weed in commercial farms, it is highly appreciated as a wild edible green due to its high nutritional value and beneficial health effects, especially in the countries of southern Europe (Paschoalinotto et al. 2023). ...
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Article
Full-text available
Purpose Sustainable development goals are highly linked to food systems and there is an urgent need for mitigating the environmental impact of food production. Currently, the integration of wild edible species in commercial farming systems has been suggested as a climate change mitigation measure. However, the environmental impact of such species is scarcely investigated. This study is the first to report the environmental footprint (EF) of golden thistle (Scolymus hispanicus), using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Methods The analysis was based on a field experiment plus flows and processes from the Agribalyse database. The ReCiPe midpoint (H) method was used for the impact assessment (18 impact categories). The declared unit was 1 ton of golden thistle (cradle-to-farm gate), where inputs used for the production in the field were considered (e.g., machinery, irrigation, fertilizers). For the cradle-to-grave approach field practices, packaging, transportation, cooking and waste disposal were considered. For the comparison of golden thistle with spinach (cradle-to-farm gate), the declared unit was 1 kg of product fresh weight. For the nutritional LCA (NLCA), the declared units were 1 kg of GAE (Gallic acid equivalents), 1 kg of Ca and 1 kg of Mg (micronutrients), proxies for nutritional and health aspects. Results and discussion Water consumption (WC), fossil resource scarcity (FRS), freshwater eutrophication (FEU) and global warming (GW) had the highest values per ton of golden thistle; cradle-to-farm-gate, in the scenario of full irrigation. Packaging, transportation to the local market, cooking and waste disposal increased FRS and FEU while the farm practices mainly contributed to the WF and GW. Spinach shows lower impacts when compared to golden thistle (1 ton; cradle-to-farm-gate). Golden thistle performs better when the comparison is based on impacts per kg of GAE (Gallic Acid Equivalents), kg Ca and kg of Mg (nutrients). Our results showed that golden thistle could be an alternative from a nutritional and environmental point of view, only if cultivated under low inputs and sold in local markets. Conclusions This work contributes to the environmental impact assessment of food production, focusing on wild plant species cultivation under different scenarios and considering declared units related to NLCA, to capture nutritional and health aspects. The integration of wild edible species such as S. hispanicus in small-scale farms of the Mediterranean basin could be valuable for sustainable food systems design.
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... 368), Morocco [43] (p. 617), [62] (pp. 23, 32), Italy [46,47], Greece [47,63], Cyprus [47], and Turkey [48] (p. ...
A Review of Edible Wild Plants Recently Introduced into Cultivation in Spain and Their Health Benefits
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2025
Before the Bronze age, when agricultural practices spread throughout the Iberian Peninsula, the diet of the native people was based on hunting, fishing, and gathering wild plants. In spite of modern agriculture, the popular gathering of wild species for medical use, food, craftwork, etc., for centuries has left a detailed knowledge on the use of many of these species. Of the 6176 Angiosperms native to the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, over 200 species were introduced into cultivation during the Neolithic period outside the Iberian Peninsula. The names of 30 of the progenitors still popularly used as food are listed in this paper, together with the names of their derived crops. This review focuses on five wild species collected as food from ancient times, namely Borago officinalis L. Prunus spinosa L., Silene vulgaris (Moench) Garke subsp. vulgaris, Scolymus hispanicus L., and Asparagus acutifolius L. In response to great demand, they have been recently introduced into cultivation in Spain and are now harvested and commercialized as new crops. Special attention is paid to their basic bioactive compounds and pharmacological properties. The limitation of this study is that the published information about the bioactive compounds of these five plants originates from different parts of the world where they grow wild or are cultivated. Therefore, further research is needed to trace the metabolomic dynamics of these plants regarding geographical and ecological principles, as well as wild versus cultivated origins.
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... In addition, eleven species (some of which are weeds) were exported to the US and used to prepare Korean and Chinese specialties (Pemberton & Lee, 1996). Likewise, Moroccan weed was exported for the same purpose to the United States, Spain, Italy and Greece (Tanji & Nassif, 1995). More than 24% of the 700 weeds registered in Mexico were edible and of the 320 exotic weeds recorded in northwestern Patagonia, Sout America, 90 species (28%) were edible (Rapoport & Brión 1991). ...
Composition and Potential Values of Species in the Agricultural Area of Kupang Indonesia
Article
  • Sep 2024
This research was conducted to investigate the composition and potential value of weeds species in an agricultural area of Kupang, Indonesia. Two sites (dry and wet site) were selected subjectively. In each site, three stands (100 m x 100 m) were placed subjectively and in each stand 25 plots (1 m x 1 m) were placed randomly (∑150 plots). In each plot, all weed present were recorded and their density and percentage cover calculated. Each species was grouped into broad-leaves, sedges, and grasses. To determine the potential value of the weeds, all weeds were grouped into whether they medicinal plants, animal feed or food ingredients. For each species, the number of individuals, dominance, frequency, and Importance Value Index (IVI) were calculated. Species diversity was also calculated using the Shannon-Wienner Diversity Index (H'). Overall, 46 weed species were found. The weeds with the highest IVI (>5.00%) were Panicum repens L (IVI 14.80%), Bolboschoenus maritimus L. Palla (IVI 10.32%), Alternanthera sessilis L (IVI 7.47%), Cyperus rotundus L, (IVI 6.97%), Digitaria ciliaris (IVI 6.69%), Cyperus elatus L (IVI 6.63%), and Ischaemum timorense Kunth (IVI 5.02%). In general, the composition of weeds between the dry and the wet sites were relatively different. Based on the number of species and diversity index, the weed community in the wet site was relatively higher than that in the dry site. Based on the IVI, the dry site tended to be dominated by grasses and broad leaves while the wet site tended to be dominated by sedges. Based on IVI, 42.80% of all the weed species present had the potential to be used as medicinal plants, 39.81% as animal feed, and 17.39% as human food. Overall, most weed species studied had the potential to be used as medicinal plants, animal feed, and food ingredients. The potential of this weed needs to be studied more deeply in the future, including their use as an alternative source of medicine and food, especially as demand increases in the future.
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... 368), Morocco [40] (p. 617), [58] (pp. 23, 32), Italy [43], [44] (p. ...
Edible Wild Relatives of Cultivated Plants of Popular Use in the Iberian Peninsula
Preprint
Full-text available
  • Jun 2024
Before the Bronze age, when agricultural practices spread throughout the Iberian Peninsula, the diet of natives was based on hunting, fishing and gathering wild plants. On spite of modern agriculture, the popular gathering of wild species for medical use, feeding, craftwork, etc. for centuries, has left a deep knowledge on the use of many of those species. Of the 6.176 Angiosperms native to the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, over 200 species were introduced into cultivation from the Neolithic outside the Iberian Peninsula. The name of 30 of the progenitors still popularly used as food, are listed in this paper, together with the name of the derived crops. Special attention is paid to five wild species, including their composition and pharmacological properties, collected as food from ancient times, that in response to their great demand, have been recently introduced into cultivation in Spain and are now harvested and commercialized as new crops.
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... such as in the presentation, taste, and aroma [26,27]. The increasing commercial value of edible flowers increases the demand for quality assurance tools that ensure safe and authentic flower ingredients [4,28]. ...
Flower Species Ingredient Verification Using Orthogonal Molecular Methods
Article
Full-text available
  • Jun 2024
Flowers are gaining considerable interest among consumers as ingredients in food, beverages, cosmetics, and natural health products. The supply chain trades in multiple forms of botanicals, including fresh whole flowers, which are easier to identify than dried flowers or flowers processed as powdered or liquid extracts. There is a gap in the scientific methods available for the verification of flower species ingredients traded in the supply chains of multiple markets. The objective of this paper is to develop methods for flower species ingredient verification using two orthogonal methods. More specifically, the objectives of this study employed both (1) DNA-based molecular diagnostic methods and (2) NMR metabolite fingerprint methods in the identification of 23 common flower species ingredients. NMR data analysis reveals considerable information on the variation in metabolites present in different flower species, including color variants within species. This study provides a comprehensive comparison of two orthogonal methods for verifying flower species ingredient supply chains to ensure the highest quality products. By thoroughly analyzing the benefits and limitations of each approach, this research offers valuable insights to support quality assurance and improve consumer confidence.
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... scolymus), all members of Cynara (including C. baetica) are used for cooking, and both the flowers and stems are edible (Jackson, 2012). For instance, C. cardunculus constitute an appreciate food, being its young flower heads commonly consumed in different Mediterranean countries (Zayed et al., 2020), and this is also true for C. humilis, which is highly appreciate for consumption in Morocco (Tanji & Nassif, 1995). However, despite the widespread consumption of wild artichoke heads, there is only data on biochemical composition and bioactivity of C. cardunculus and C. scolymus. ...
Bioactive compounds and bioactivity of the heads of wild artichokes
Article
Full-text available
  • Apr 2024
Abstract Wild artichokes (Cyanara algarbiensis, C. baetica, C. cardunculus, and C. humilis) heads are globally consumed, although some taxa remain understudied, constituting natural reservoirs of bioactive phytochemicals. This study was focused on four Cyanara taxa collected in diverse locations in the SE of the Iberian Peninsula in comparison with cultivated C. scolymus. Analyses of vitamin C was effected by HPLC-DAD, and the methanol:water (80:20, v/v) extracts were analyzed for: i) phenolic compounds by HPLC-DAD and LC-MS; ii) phenolic acids and flavonoid using the Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride methods; iii) the antioxidant activity through the DPPH and ABTS•+ methods; iv) the in vitro antiproliferative activity against HT-29 cells using the MTT assay; and v) caspase-3 activity, which was performed to verify induced apoptosis. Vitamin C highlighted in C. humilis (59.9 mg/100 g fw), and total phenolics (by chromatography quantitation) reached 645.9 mg/100 g fw in C. baetica. The antioxidant activity stood out in C. baetica, with 0.50 (DPPH) and 0.52 (ABTS•+) mmol TE/100 g fw. Chlorogenic acid, apigenin-7-O-glucoronide, and apigenin-7-O-rutinoside highlighted in C. baetica (159.5, 274.5, and 50.3 mg/100 g fw); and quercetin-3-O-glucoside and 1,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid stood out in C. algarbiensis (61.5 and 93.5 mg/100 g fw). Artichoke extracts inhibited HT-29 colorectal cancer cells proliferation, particularly the ones from C. algarbiensis and C. baetica (GI50 of 975 and 650 μg/mL for 72-h exposed cells). This work constitutes a whole approach to the knowledge of phytochemicals and bioactivities of wild artichoke taxa to discern their use as functional foods.
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ISBN: 978-93-5915-756-6
Conference Paper
Full-text available
  • Dec 2024
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Flower Species Ingredient Verification Using Orthogonal Molecular Methods
Preprint
Full-text available
  • Aug 2023
Flowers are gaining considerable interest by consumers as ingredients in food, beverages, cosmetics, and natural health products. The supply chain trades in multiple forms of botanicals including fresh whole flowers, which are easier to identify than dried flowers or flowers processed as powdered or liquid extracts. There is a gap in the scientific methods available for the verification of flower species ingredients traded in the supply chain of multiple markets. The objective of this paper is to develop methods for flower species ingredient verification using two orthogonal methods. More specifically the objectives of this study employed both 1) DNA based molecular diagnostic methods, and 2) NMR metabolite fingerprint methods in the identification of 23 common flower species ingredients. NMR data analysis reveals considerable information on the variation of metabolites present in different flower species including color variants within species. This study provides a comparison of the benefits and limitations of alternative methods for flower species ingredient supply chain verification needed to support quality assurance. The metabolomic approach provides a basis for understanding the phytochemical structure of natural products that may be eventually linked to efficacy in clinical trials and label claims with respect to health benefits of specific botanical formulations.
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Les épices et les plantes à parfum
  • Jan 1981
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Bonnenfant, C. R 1981. Les epices et les plantes a parfum. Maroc Agricole 9(131): 13-20.
Index synonymique des taxons presents dans les milieux culitves ou artificialises du Maroc occidental et central
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Boulet, C, A. Tanji, and A. Taleb. Index synonymique des taxons presents dans les milieux culitves ou artificialises du Maroc occidental et central. Actes Inst. Agron. V6t 9:65-98.
La Toxicologie au Maroc. Mémoires de la Société des
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Chamot, H. 1945. La Toxicologic au Maroc. Memoires de la Societe des Sciences Naturelles au Maroc No 47, Rabat, 826 p.
Possibilité de valorisation de la flore marocaine
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How to Enjoy Your Weeds
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Hatfield, A. W. 1973. How to Enjoy Your Weeds. Sterling Publishing Co, Inc., New York, 192 p.