Nutritional Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Gonostegia hirta: An Underexploited, Potentially Edible, Wild Plant

Abstract

Wild, edible plants have received increasing attention as an important complement to cultivate vegetables, as they represent an easily accessible source of nutrients, mineral elements, and antioxidants. In this study, the tender stems and leaves of Gonostegia hirta, an edible species for which only scarce data are available in the literature, are thoroughly evaluated for their nutritional profile, chemical characterization, and antioxidant activity. Being considered as an underexploited, potentially edible plant, the nutritional composition of Gonostegia hirta was identified, and several beneficial compounds were highlighted: sugars, potassium, calcium, organic acids, fatty acids, phenolics, and flavonoids. A total of 418 compounds were identified by metabolomic analysis, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, amino acids, lipids, organic acids, terpenoids, alkaloids, nucleotides, tannins, lignans, and coumarin. The plant sample was found to have good antioxidant capacities, presented by DPPH, FRAP, ABTS+, hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity, and its resistance to the superoxide anion radical test. In general, Gonostegia hirta has a good nutritional and phytochemical composition. The health benefits of Gonostegia hirta as a vegetable and herbal medicine is important for both a modern diet and use in medication.

Exploring the Use of Indigenous Wild Vegetables by the Basotho People of Southern Africa: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature and Nutritional Analysis of Selected Species

“…In general, the wild vegetables contain appreciable moisture content in that the highest concentration was found in Sonchus dregeanus (96.03%), followed by Solanum nigrum (93.04%), and the lowest in Tribulus terrestris (52.71%). These results showed that Sonchus dregeanus is a good source of moisture in that the moisture content found in the vegetable is considerably higher than those previously reported in the vegetables from Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, and China [72,90,95,96]. The relatively high moisture content in all the vegetables studied implies that they may have a short shelf life and high microbial contamination if not well preserved.…”

“…Based on aluminium content, the highest concentration was observed in Sonchus dregeanus (110.04 mg/100 g), followed by Asclepias multicaulis (105.09 mg/100 g), while Erucastrum austroafricanum had the lowest concentration (70.96 mg/100 g). The aluminium content observed in all the wild vegetables in this study is higher than what was observed in Gonostegia hirta (10.37 mg/100 g), a wild vegetable from China [72]. The result showed that these Basotho wild vegetables are a good source of aluminium and can also supply daily intake of Al in humans [73].…”

Nutritional Value, Volatile Components, Functional Metabolites, and Antibacterial and Cytotoxic Activities of Different Parts of Millettia speciosa Champ., a Medicinal and Edible Plant with Potential for Development

“…Subsequently, proanthocyanidin was used as the standard for condensed tannin content, which was determined after color development using hydrochloric acid-acetone-butanol solution extraction. Total flavonoid content was measured by using the AlCl 3 colorimetric method with rutin as the standard [73].…”