Chromatographic analysis at the service of new agricultural production systems: chemical composition of Chicorium spinosum L. with bioactive properties
Cichorium spinosum L. is a wild edible plant with proved beneficial health effects [1],[2]. Its production in controlled agricultural systems is little explored and thus its availability to the consumer is very limited. Considering the importance of explore new sustainable sources of nutrients and bioactives, the agricultural production using fertilizing techniques via nutrient solution is increasing, since it can directly affect the quality of the produced vegetable. Thus, the present study aimed to characterize the chemical composition, in terms of organic acids (UFLC-PDA), free sugars (HPLC-RI), and fatty acids (GC-FID), of 7 samples of C. spinosum (fertilized different proportions of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium); as also study the bioactive properties of its hydroethanolic and aqueous extracts, namely antioxidant (TBARS), antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxic activities. In terms of organic acids, quinic acid was present in the highest amounts, and the most notorious individual sugar was glucose, followed by sucrose and fructose. For fatty acids, the presence of unsaturated fatty acids was highlighted, mainly linoleic acid. Overall, the sample produced with 300:200:200 ppm of N:P:K (C322) was the one presenting the highest amounts of sugars and fatty acids. C311 hydroethanolic extract and C222 aqueous extract revealed the highest antioxidant activity; and again, C222 hydroethanolic and aqueous extracts showed the lowest MIC values. No cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory effects were found. The results obtained highlights the impacts of using nutrient solution in the quality of the final product, reinforcing also the potential and high added value of C. spinosum plant.