First Insight into Nutraceutical Properties of Local Salento Cichorium intybus Varieties: NMR-Based Metabolomic Approach

Chiara Roberta Girelli, Francesca Serio, Rita Accogli, Federica Angilè, Antonella De Donno and Francesco Paolo Fanizzi
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Chiara Roberta Girelli: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Francesca Serio: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Rita Accogli: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Federica Angilè: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Antonella De Donno: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Francesco Paolo Fanizzi: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 8, 1-16

Abstract: Background: Plants of genus Cichorium are known for their therapeutic and nutraceutical properties determined by a wealth of phytochemical substances contained in the whole plant. The aim of this paper was to characterize the metabolic profiles of local Salento chicory ( Cichorium intybus L.) varieties (“Bianca”, “Galatina”, “Leccese”, and “Otranto”) in order to describe their metabolites composition together with possible bioactivity and health beneficial properties. Methods: The investigation was performed by 1 H-NMR spectroscopy and Multivariate Analysis (MVA), by which the metabolic profiles of the samples were easily obtained and compared. Results: The supervised Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) analysis showed as “Bianca” and “Galatina” samples grouped together separated by “Leccese” and “Otranto” varieties. A different content of free amino acids and organic acids was observed among the varieties. In particular a high content of cichoric and monocaffeoyl tartaric acid was observed for the “Leccese” variety. The presence of secondary metabolites adds significant interest in the investigation of Cichorium inthybus , as this vegetable may benefit human health when incorporated into the diet. Conclusions: The 1 H-NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy) based characterization of Salento chicory varieties allowed us to determine the potential usefulness and nutraceutical properties of the product, also providing a method to guarantee its authenticity on a molecular scale.

Keywords: nutraceuticals; metabolomics; food safety; human health; NMR-spectroscopy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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