Edible Flowers Show Promise as Functional Foods, But Quality Control Issues Remain

Research conducted by scientists at King Mongkut's University Technology Thonburi in Bangkok, Thailand, has highlighted the potential of edible flowers as functional foods, offering antioxidant and antiaging benefits. However, the swift decline in quality after harvesting remains a significant challenge, affecting their aesthetic value, shelf life, and marketability. To address this issue, researchers investigated the effects of storage temperature on the quality and antioxidant activity of ten edible flowers.

Key Takeaways:

• Edible flowers, such as Clitoria pulcherrima (pink and orange) and Alpinia leptopus 'Alba', possess high levels of total phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, and acetylcholinesterase activity, indicating their potential as functional foods.
• Storage at 10 °C significantly delayed the deterioration of edible flowers, while maintaining their antioxidant capacities and nutraceutical properties.
• The flower extracts of Clitoria pulcherrima (pink and orange) exhibited effective antioxidant capacity against DPPH and strong inhibition levels of tyrosinase.
• Almost all investigated edible flowers modulated inflammation, with Alpinia goyazensis demonstrating the highest inhibition of NO generation, suggesting its potential as a functional food candidate.
• Flowers of Clitoria pulcherrima (yellow) showed 100% decay at 21 °C on day 3 of storage, highlighting the need for optimized storage conditions.

Statistics:

• Total phenolic content of Clitoria pulcherrima (pink and orange) expressed higher values, up to 1.22 and 1.20 mg/g FW, respectively.
• Antioxidant capacity of Clitoria pulcherrima orange flowers was effective against DPPH, with an initial value of 1632.89 mmol TE/g.
• Flowers of Alpinia leptopus 'Alba' exhibited high acetylcholinesterase activity of approximately 0.01-0.06 mg/mL.
• Alpinia goyazensis showed a strong inhibition level of tyrosinase of 0.16-0.22 mg/mL.
• Flowers stored at 21 °C showed reduced antioxidant capacities and nutraceutical properties within 6 days.

Sources:

• Buanong, M., et al. (2025). Low storage temperature maintains the quality, antioxidant activity, and nutraceutical properties of edible flowers and their anti-inflammatory effects on RAW 264.7 cells. Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, 21(), 101938. doi: 10.1016/j.jafr.2025.101938 (Elsevier).