Cynara cardunculus: Use in Cheesemaking and Pharmaceutical Applications

Abstract

Cynara cardunculus L. is the most widespread species of Cynara genus (f. Asteraceae). This herbaceous perennial plant is native to the Mediterranean region and invasive in other parts of the world, growing naturally in harsh habitat conditions. There are three subspecies: globe artichoke; cultivated cardoon and the progenitor of the two, the wild cardoon. The culture of Cynara cardunculus L. follows an annual growth cycle, emerging in autumn and harvesting in summer. Cynara cardunculus has been considered as a multipurpose crop due to its relevant biochemical profiles. Inflorescences have been used as food, whereas leaves are a rich source of bioactive compounds. Consequently, larger plants without spines have been selected for technological purposes. Due to its high cellulose and hemicellulose content, the lignocellulosic fraction has been used as solid biofuel, biogas and bioethanol. Both pulp fibers production and seeds oil are suitable for biodiesel production. Over the centuries, the inflorescence pistils of Cynara cardunculus L. have been widely used for cheesemaking. The present chapter gives an overview of the Cynara cardunculus L. emphasizing recent knowledge regarding the use, conservation, preparation and application of Cynara cardunculus in ovine milk cheesemaking, as well as other biotechnological applications.

Seasonal variation of bioactive properties and phenolic composition of Cynara cardunculus var. altilis

“…sylvestris), and their ancestor globe artichoke (C. cardunculus var. scolymus) (Conceição et al, 2016).…”

“…Its inflorescences are also widely used in the manufacturing of protected designation of origin (PDO) cheeses, as a result of the clotting capacity. The oil from cardoon seeds is used in the biodiesel production and as edible vegetable oil, while fresh and dried plants for biomass production (Conceição et al, 2016;Gominho, Curt, Lourenço, Fernández, & Pereira, 2018;Piluzza, Molinu, Re, & Sulas, 2019). Besides that, this crop is widely consumed as herbal medicine, due to the known health-promoting effects.…”

“…Moreover, recently the commercial and economic potential of cardoon has been recognized due to its nutritional value, bioactive potential, as well as its diverse industrial applications. Parameters such as the high crop yield, the stability of agronomic performance, the adaptation capacity to climate changes and the resistance to different types of abiotic stress, are important contributors to the stimulation of this interest (Conceição et al, 2016;Gominho et al, 2018). The pharmaceutical and nutritional properties associated with this crop could be correlated to compounds with beneficial effects, namely flavonoids (apigenin and luteolin derivatives), phenolic acids (mainly caffeoylquinic and dicaffeoylquinic acid derivatives), and anthocyanins (cyanidin), found in different plant tissues of cardoon, in addition to inulin, fibers and minerals (Petropoulos, Pereira, Ntatsi, et al, 2018).…”

Plant Aspartic Proteases for Industrial Applications: Thistle Get Better

“…The use of the cardoon flower as a milk-clotting agent in traditional cheese manufacturing is ancient, and dates back as far as Roman times [14]. In contrast to artichokes, thistle cultures were never subjected to a breeding program.…”

“…Triangles indicate glycosylation sites. Based on References[14][15][16] and UniProt KB accession Q9XFX3 and Q9XFX4.…”