This study investigates the bioactive compound profiles of 12 wild edible plant species from the Amaranthaceae, Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Lamiaceae, Malvaceae, Polygonaceae, and Urticaceae families, consumed as aromatic and medicinal vegetables by local communities and forming part of the natural vegetation of Mount Ergan. The plants were collected and analyzed for their anthocyanin, organic acid, and sugar contents, using advanced liquid chromatography techniques. Statistically significant differences were observed between species for each compound analyzed, highlighting their diverse phytochemical profiles. Malva neglecta, Brassica nigra, and Taraxacum phaleratum exhibited the highest anthocyanin contents, suggesting their strong potential as natural antioxidant sources. Organic acid levels were notably elevated in Polygonum cognatum, T. phaleratum, Urtica dioica, and M. neglecta, which positions these species as promising candidates for use as natural acid regulators in food and pharmaceutical formulations. In terms of sugar content, Chenopodium album, Mentha longifolia, and T. phaleratum had the lowest levels, while M. neglecta, Cirsium arvense, P. cognatum, and Tragopogon buphthalmoides showed significantly higher concentrations, indicating potential applications in the development of natural sweeteners. This study’s findings provide valuable insights into the phytochemical diversity of these wild plant species, emphasizing their potential utility in health nutrition, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. This study emphasizes the significance of investigating underexploited plant species for their bioactive chemicals and illustrates their potential contribution to the development of sustainable, natural product-based solutions for diverse industrial uses.

In the context of extreme climate change, experts in fruit production face a significant challenge in developing new strategies aimed at increasing the productivity of fruit tree crops. In order to investigate the changes in various horticultural indices (production, tree growth, and development) as well as the quality of plum fruits, sheep’s wool mulch, a cornstarch-based soil conditioner, and a combination of the two were applied in a Stanley plum orchard. In parallel, an experimental control variation was used. The results showed that the methods used had a substantial impact on fruit yield, size, and weight, with the best results obtained when mulching with sheep’s wool and soil conditioner. Plum fruits from mulching with sheep wool + soil conditioner exhibited the greatest total phenol concentration (1.30 ± 0.09 mg GAE/g dw), followed by the reference sample at 1.16 ± 0.09 mg GAE/g dw. The antioxidant capacity assessed using the three different methods provided favorable results for the experimental variant, sheep wool + soil conditioner. The results indicate that using the three experimental versions increased the fruit yield with 27% (sheep’s wool mulch) and with, 37% (sheep wool + soil conditioner) on average compared to that of the control group, while also improving the fruit quality. The fruit weight increased with 17.26% (cornstarch-based soil conditioner) and with 48.90% (sheep wool + soil conditioner) compared to that of the control, and the fruit size increased with 5% in two experiments (sheep’s wool mulch and a cornstarch-based soil conditioner) with 19% (sheep wool + soil conditioner), compared to the control group.

Glechoma hederacea L. (GH) is an understudied species with significant phytotherapeutic potential, whose botanical characteristics and phytochemical profile have not previously been investigated from Bihor County, North-West Romania, namely Săldăbagiu de Munte (261 m a.s.l.) and Beiuș (553 m a.s.l.). In this study, we aimed to examine the species from both pharmacobotanical and phytochemical perspectives focusing on two populations originating from areas with different altitudes, which were selected as representative sites for collecting GH populations. The morphological analysis included both macroscopic and microscopic examinations performed with optical microscopy, complemented by phytochemical profiling and antioxidant activity evaluation. The phenolic profile was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Total phenolic content was determined using the Folin–Ciocalteu method, while total flavonoid content was assessed by the aluminum chloride colorimetric assay. In addition, the total anthocyanin content was determined, too. The antioxidant properties of the samples were evaluated using cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. Our results indicate that GH from the higher-altitude area is a rich source of phenolics and exhibits notable antioxidant activity. Among the identified active compounds, apigenin and caffeic acid were found in the highest concentrations. These findings support the potential use of this species in phytopharmaceutical formulations.

Drought stress is one of the major constraints limiting crop productivity, primarily through oxidative damage, pigment degradation, and metabolic imbalance. Nanostructured selenium particles (SeNPs) have recently attracted attention for their potential to enhance plant tolerance to abiotic stress. In this study, green-synthesized SeNPs, with a main hydrodynamic size distribution in the range of 90–100 nm, were foliar applied to broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) plants grown under well-watered (100% water holding capacity) and drought (50% water holding capacity) conditions at concentrations of 0, 10, 20 and 50 ppm. Drought stress significantly decreased chlorophyll a and b, total chlorophyll, and carotenoids, while increasing malondialdehyde (MDA) and proline levels, confirming oxidative stress and membrane damage. SeNPs treatments partially mitigated these effects by enhancing pigment stability, increasing carotenoid content, and reducing both MDA and proline accumulation. Phenolic and flavonoid responses exhibited a dose-dependent pattern with the highest stimulation at 50 ppm under drought and moderate enhancement at 10 ppm under optimal irrigation. Antioxidant capacity assays demonstrated that SeNPs modulate plant redox metabolism, in a context-dependent manner, particularly under water deficit. Peroxidase (POD) activity was also significantly induced under drought stress, mainly at 20 ppm. These results indicate that foliar-applied SeNPs can influence physiological and biochemical responses associated with drought tolerance in broccoli. The observed effects are consistent with nanoparticle–leaf surface interactions contributing to redox regulation and stress adaptation, rather than implying direct nanoparticle internalization.

Pastas enriched with vegetables are premium nutritious products and their consumption can bring significant health benefits. Recent studies have reported a high content of bioavailable phytochemical compounds in Allium ursinum L.; as such, it can be used in the development of functional food products. This study involved the evaluation of 10 varieties of pasta. Five of these varieties were made from white flour and varying amounts of egg (Ctrl_1–Ctrl_5). The other five varieties (AU_1–AU_5) contained fresh shredded wild garlic leaves in equal proportions (20 g) in addition to the corresponding ingredients (white flour and egg). All pasta variants were investigated for their cooking properties and the presence of bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity in the raw and cooked pasta. Sensory analysis was conducted on all types of cooked pasta, and results indicated that the pasta with the least quantity of eggs was the most favoured variant. Additionally, the pasta that was enhanced with wild garlic leaves received the highest rating for “overall quality”. According to our results, the optimal cooking time (OCT) increased when the quantity of eggs was raised, but when wild garlic leaves were present, OCT decreased in comparison to the control samples. A significant decrease (p < 0.05) in the cooking parameters, swelling index, and water absorption was observed in both egg pasta (Ctrl) and egg pasta enriched with A. ursinum L. (AU). However, compared to the corresponding egg pasta, the presence of wild garlic in pasta generally produced higher values in SI and WA. Pastas enriched with wild garlic are rich in polyphenols (TPh), with a content ranging from 82.44 to 94.62 µg GAE/g dw, and also exhibit antioxidant properties. The amount of total polyphenol significantly decreases (p < 0.05) during cooking varies depending on the composition of the pasta. The pasta with the highest egg content (AU_5) had the lowest loss of polyphenols, equivalent to 55.35%. Our investigations indicate that producing pasta with eggs and fresh wild garlic leaves results in a valuable food product with a good sensory score, enriched in bioactive components, with essential nutrients that maintains cooking qualities.

This exploratory study investigated the phenolic composition and antioxidant activity of dried inflorescence extracts prepared from three commercially cultivated lavender materials: Lavandula angustifolia ‘Moldoveanca 4’, Lavandula angustifolia ‘Sevtopolis’, and Lavandula × intermedia ‘George 90’. Using HPLC-DAD-ESI⁺ analysis, fourteen phenolic compounds predominantly belonging to the hydroxybenzoic acid, hydroxycinnamic acid, and flavone classes were tentatively annotated, and their levels were estimated as class-equivalent concentrations. Descriptive quantitative differences were observed among the three extracts for all fourteen compounds. The chromatographic sum of their class-equivalent concentrations showed the highest value in ‘Sevtopolis’ (1064.44 ± 1.03 µg/mL), followed by ‘George 90’ (924.03 ± 1.13 µg/mL) and ‘Moldoveanca 4’ (825.87 ± 2.3 µg/mL). The ‘Sevtopolis’ extract also showed the highest DPPH radical-scavenging activity, followed by ‘George 90’ and ‘Moldoveanca 4’. Taken together, these findings provide a preliminary analytical characterization of three specific lavender extracts and describe sample-specific phenolic and DPPH patterns under the conditions employed, without supporting genotype-level inference.