Chemical profile and nutritional evaluation of fruits, seeds and peels of Plantago ovata FORSSK. (Plantaginaceae) and Plantago major L. (Plantaginaceae

• Grant number: 23/12753-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2023
• End date: October 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nutrition
• Principal Investigator: Ana Maria Soares Pereira
• Grantee: Mariana Taleb Contini
• Host Institution: Universidade de Ribeirão Preto (UNAERP). Campus Ribeirão Preto. Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Brazil is the most biologically diverse country in the world, with biomes rich in plant species of great interest to the pharmaceutical industry and which are increasingly being integrated into food formulations in order to provide products with functional properties. On the market, there are several herbal and food supplement products formulated with Plantago ovata and Plantago major. However, these species require studies involving the investigation of their chemical profile and nutritional assessment, which can be used to estimate their potential for use in human consumption and report which part of the plant should be used to obtain phytotherapics and nutraceuticals. The aim of this study is therefore to carry out a chemical study and evaluate the centesimal and nutritional composition of the P. ovata and P. major species, with a view to contributing to the quality, safety and efficacy of herbal medicines and nutraceuticals produced from these species. The chemical characterization of the fruits, seeds and barks of P. ovata and P. major will be carried out using the comparative thin layer chromatography (TLC) technique. The analysis of the centesimal composition of the fruits, seeds and bark of theses species will be carried out according to the recommendations of the International Network of Food Data Systems (INFOODS) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). It is hoped that this study will demonstrate that the Plantago major species, which occurs in Brazil, is as nutritionally efficient as Plantago ovata, which is imported from Europe. In addition, the development of the phytochemical profile of both species will allow them to be chemically distinguished, helping to identify frauds that are common to Plantago species.