Sólo un 30% de los hogares en México, presentan seguridad alimentaria, es decir, un gran porcentaje de los hogares y por ende de la población no satisfacen las necesidades básicas diarias de macro y micronutrimentos. Los quelites, que se definen como plantas silvestres comestibles (hojas, tallos y flores) son una fuente accesible, continua, económica y adecuada de nutrimentos. Sin embargo, su consumo ha disminuido por modificaciones en las preferencias alimentarias, derivadas de los cambios en estilos de vida. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue valorizar a los quelites como fuente de alimento. Los quelites, aportan proteínas, aminoácidos, minerales (Ca, Mg, Zn), vitaminas (E, C) y fibra. Además, son una excelente fuente de compuestos bioactivos, como ácidos fenólicos (ácido cafeico, ferúlico) y flavonoides (quercetina, kaempferol, espinacetina), carotenoides, ácido α-linolénico y betalainas, que presentan elevada actividad antioxidante. Su consumo habitual se ha relacionado con beneficios a la salud, tales como efectos antitumorales, antihiperlipidémicos y antidiabéticos. Los quelites, además de estar disponibles en forma silvestre, forman parte de las tradiciones culinarias de México, incorporados de forma cruda y cocida en los platillos regionales. Por lo tanto, la revalorización y reincorporación de los quelites en la dieta, puede coadyuvar a cubrir las necesidades nutrimentales, en poblaciones con poco acceso o inseguridad alimentaria, además de contribuir a proporcionar efectos adicionales a través de sus compuestos bioactivos.

Plant biodiversity provides a natural source of several compounds with biological activity, such as antioxidant and antifungal properties; such effects are related with the concentrations of phenols and flavonoids and different organs of the plants. In this research, aqueous (W) and 70% ethanol (Et70) extracts from flowers (F), leaves (L), stems (S) and roots (R) of Barkleyanthus salicifolius (Kunth) H. Rob. & Brettell were used to test antioxidant and antifungal activities and also the total concentration of phenols and flavonoids were analyzed; and types of phenolic acids and flavonoids were determined for each plant organ extract by HPLC. The Et70 enhance the extraction process of phenols and flavonoids, also showed higher antifungal and antioxidant activities. The obtained extract of the Et70 × F interaction showed the higher concentration of total phenols (57.90 mg GAE), flavonoids (91.03 mg QE) and antioxidant activity (285.07 Μm Trolox) per gram of dry extract. In addition, this extract shows an antifungal inhibition interval of 66.17% (Fusarium oxysporum) to 92.89% (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides). The phenol ferulic acid (35.57 mg g^-1) and the flavonoid naringenina (206.60 mg g^-1) were the compounds with the highest values founded in Et70-R, both of them compounds had been tested against fungal pathogens. Data indicate that antifungal and antioxidant activities are in function of phenolic acids and flavonoids concentration, as well as solvent used to extraction. Therefore, B. salicifolius species growing on wild form have the ability of accumulate several compounds with biological activity.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the nutrients and antioxidant compounds of three mixtures based on leaves of Portulaca oleracea L. (P), Amaranthus hybridus L. (A) and Chenopodium berlandieri L. (C). A mixtures design was made of which 10 combinations were obtained and three of the best mixtures were selected to analysis: OP1 (P+C), OP2 (P+A) and OP3 (C+A). A macronutrient, micronutrient analysis and a HPLC profile of phenolic compounds and amino acids were performed; in addition, in vitro antioxidant activity was measured by DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays. Results showed that OP1 has a greater content of phenolic compounds, as evidenced by increases in antioxidant activity. Proximal chemical analysis showed that OP3 has a higher protein content and dietary fiber. The main phenolic compound present was phloridzin in OP1 and OP3; on the other hand, the amino acids lysine and glutamic acid were present at high concentrations in the three mixtures. These results showed that the OP1 mixture has the best antioxidant and nutritional properties; therefore, it has the potential to be included as an ingredient in food systems or nutraceutical and biomedical applications.

In this study, we evaluated the effects of edaphic fertilization with N, P, and K (150-50-80, 100-60-60, and without edaphic fertilization (SFE)) and foliar fertilization with nanoparticles (NPs) of Se and Zn (Se: 50 ppm, Zn: 250 ppm, and no nanoparticles (NP0)) on the yield and antioxidant compounds of apple fruits. We conducted this study in a 20-year-old commercial orchard. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design of nine treatments. The treatments with fertilization doses of 150-50-80 and 100-60-60, supplemented with Se and Zn NPs, generally increased the yield, sugar content, and ascorbic acid of the apple fruits. The SFE + NPZn treatment produced the highest increase (+193% compared with the control) in fruit yield. The SFE + NPSe and SFE + NPZn treatments led to higher contents of phenols and flavonoids, with maximum values of 7.6 mg GAE and 15.82 mg QE per gram of dry weight. These compounds presented a direct correlation with the antioxidant activity in the fruits. The foliar application of Se and Zn nanoparticles supplemented the soil fertilization with N, P, and K to improve the yield and bioactive-compound synthesis of the apple fruits.