Carotenoids, anthocyanins and antioxidant potential of ten tropical ornamental flowers for functional food applications
1Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, Kerala Agricultural University, India 680656. 2Department of Fruit Science, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, Kerala Agricultural University, India 680656. Corresponding e-mail: resmi.paul@kau.in
DOI: https://doi.org/10.37855/jah.2025.v27i04.103
India has a rich and extensive floral diversity, and flowers have long been cherished not only for their beauty but also for their role in culinary traditions. The phytochemicals (carotenoids, anthocyanins, flavonoids, and phenols) and antioxidant properties (DPPH and ABTS assays) of ten selected ornamental flowers widely cultivated in tropical regions were evaluated in this study. Tagetes erecta and T. patula flowers recorded the highest carotenoid content (8.13 mg/100 g and 6.50 mg/100 g, respectively) and flavonoids (104.16 mg/100 g and 101.00 mg/100 g, respectively), making them promising sources. The highest phenolic content was observed in Cosmos sulphureus flowers (49.80 mg). Rosa damascena exhibited a strong antioxidant capacity in both DPPH (38.26 µg/mL) and ABTS (47.92 µg/mL) assays and the highest anthocyanin content (187.43 mg). The study demonstrated that the ornamental flowers examined, can serve as functional food ingredients, which are not typically included in diets, offering natural sources of anthocyanins, flavonoids, phenols, and carotenoids with strong antioxidant capacity to scavenge free radicals.
