Chemical composition and nutritional value of flowers and fruits of Cytisus striatus (Hill) Rothm

The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for their financial support through the PhD fellowship with reference UI/BD/151511/2021 and national funds FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) to CERNAS-IPCB [UIDB/00681/2020 (DOI: 10.54499/UIDP/00681/2020)]; CICS-UBI (https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/00709/2020 and https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDP/00709/2020). Joana Gonçalves acknowledges the PhD fellowship from FCT (Reference: SFRH/BD/149360/2019).

In ancient times, the shoots of certain species within the Cytisus genus were used as animal feed. Cytisus striatus is a plentiful and widespread shrub that has long been utilized as a soil fertilizer in the Iberian Peninsula. The flowers of this shrub have traditionally been employed for medicinal purposes. However, the nutritional value of yellow broom flowers and fruits remains largely unexplored. In this study, flowers and fruit of C. striatus (Cytisus striatus) were collected from natural shrubs at three different locations in Portugal during the same year. An analytical assessment of their macro and micronutrient content was conducted. Regarding nutritional composition, flowers and fruits exhibited a fibre content of 18% and 42%, protein content of 21% and 12%, lipid content of 2% and 1%, carbohydrate content of 43% and 14%, and ash content of 4% and 3%, respectively. Potassium was the most abundant mineral, with concentrations of approximately 20,094 mg/kg in the flowers and 11,746 mg/kg in the fruits, followed by calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. Compared to some edible flowers and fruits, these plant parts of C. striatus showed macro and micronutrient values similar to species such as lavender, lupins, and cowpea pod husks.

This research was funded by the Forest Research Centre, a research unit funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia I.P. (FCT), Portugal (UIDB/00239/2020) and TERRA (DOI: 10.54499/LA/P/0092/2020).

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