Microchemical Components and Antioxidant Activity of Different Morphological Parts of Thai Wild Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)

Abstract

Purslane weed has long been used for animal feed in Thailand but has been underutilized, and no published data exist on the chemical and nutritional qualities of Thai wild purslane. In this study, we aimed to determine the microchemical components of purslane stem, leaf, and flower, including the phenolic acid, flavonoid, ascorbic acid, β-carotene, and fatty acid content. The water extract of the flower fraction contained the highest total phenolic acid content and had the highest O2-scavenging activities, whereas leaf contained the highest amount of total flavonoids and ascorbic acid. The β-carotene content was not significantly different in leaf and flower fractions but was significantly greater than that in stem (P < 0.05). The predominant phenolic acid was chlorogenic acid for all fractions. Rutin was the major flavonoid found in leaf, and myricetin was highest in flower and stem. Alpha linolenic acid (18:3n-3) content ranged from 16% (149 mg per 100-g sample) of total fatty acid in stem to 50% (523 mg per 100-g sample) in leaf. We suggest that Thai wild purslane could be considered a nutritional source for animal feed or an excellent vegetable in the human diet.