Morphological and Nutritional Characterization of the Native Sunflower as a Potential Plant Resource for the Sierra Gorda of Querétaro

Ana Patricia Arenas-Salazar, Mark Schoor, María Isabel Nieto-Ramírez, Juan Fernando García-Trejo, Irineo Torres-Pacheco, Ramon Gerardo Guevara-González, Humberto Aguirre-Becerra and Ana Angélica Feregrino-Pérez ()
Additional contact information
Ana Patricia Arenas-Salazar: Faculty of Engineering, Autonomous University of Querétaro, Cerro de las Campanas s/n, Querétaro 76010, Mexico
Mark Schoor: Faculty of Engineering, Autonomous University of Querétaro, Cerro de las Campanas s/n, Querétaro 76010, Mexico
María Isabel Nieto-Ramírez: Faculty of Engineering, Autonomous University of Querétaro, Cerro de las Campanas s/n, Querétaro 76010, Mexico
Juan Fernando García-Trejo: Faculty of Engineering, Autonomous University of Querétaro, Cerro de las Campanas s/n, Querétaro 76010, Mexico
Irineo Torres-Pacheco: Faculty of Engineering, Autonomous University of Querétaro, Cerro de las Campanas s/n, Querétaro 76010, Mexico
Ramon Gerardo Guevara-González: Faculty of Engineering, Autonomous University of Querétaro, Cerro de las Campanas s/n, Querétaro 76010, Mexico
Humberto Aguirre-Becerra: Faculty of Engineering, Autonomous University of Querétaro, Cerro de las Campanas s/n, Querétaro 76010, Mexico
Ana Angélica Feregrino-Pérez: Faculty of Engineering, Autonomous University of Querétaro, Cerro de las Campanas s/n, Querétaro 76010, Mexico

Resources, 2025, vol. 14, issue 8, 1-18

Abstract: Problems with primary food production (food insecurity, malnutrition, and socioeconomic problems) persist throughout the world, especially in rural areas. Despite these problems, the available natural food resources are underutilized; residents are no longer interested in growing and consuming foods native to their region. In this regard, this study carries out the morphological and nutritional characterization of a native sunflower ( Helianthus annuus ) grown in the Sierra Gorda, Querétaro, Mexico, known as “Maíz de teja”, to implement a sustainable monoculture production system. The results were compared with some other sunflower varieties and other oilseeds grown and consumed in the country. This study determined that this native sunflower seed is a good source of linoleic acid (84.98%) and zinc (17.2 mg/100 g). It is an alternative protein source (18.6 g/100 g), comparable to foods of animal origin. It also provides a good amount of fiber (22.6 g/100 g) and bioactive compounds (total phenolic compounds (TPC) 3.434 ± 0.03 mg/g and total flavonoids (TFC) 0.67 ± 0.02 mg/g), and seed yield 341.13 kg/ha. This study demonstrated a valuable nutritional profile of this native seed and its potential for cultivation. Further research is needed to improve agricultural management to contribute to food security and improve the socioeconomic status of the community.

Keywords: creole sunflower; maíz de teja; sustainable systems; nutritional potential; rural areas; plant resources (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/14/8/121/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/14/8/121/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jresou:v:14:y:2025:i:8:p:121-:d:1712291

Access Statistics for this article

Resources is currently edited by Ms. Donchian Ma

More articles in Resources from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().