Physical and chemical properties, antioxidant characteristics, and nutritional adequacy of Sorrel (Rumex vesicarius): A traditional food in Egyptian culture

Abstract

The sorrel meal is a traditional food in Egyptian culture which is consumed on winter occasions. This investigation aimed to study the chemical and physical properties, vitamin contents, antioxidant profile, and nutritional adequacy of both sorrel leaves and sorrel green soup. Chemical composition, acidity, colour, content of vitamin B complex and phenols components by HPLC, content of vitamin A, C, and E, antioxidant profile, and nutritional adequacy were estimated. The carbohydrates were the highest ingredient of the chemical composition of sorrel leaves followed by the content of moisture (66.79 ± 1.05 and 18.6 ± 0.92 g 100 g⁻¹; respectively), on the contrary, the content of moisture was the highest value in the sorrel green soups followed by the content of crude carbohydrates (79.1 ± 1.23 and 14.55 ± 0.67 g 100g-1; respectively) (p < 0.05), potassium registered the highest value of mineral contents, and vitamin C was the highest in both sorrel leaves and sorrel green soup (p < 0.05). Additionally, vitamin B9 registered the highest value in both young leaves of sorrel and the sorrel green soups (110.35 ± 1.5 and 75.66 ± 1.35 μg g⁻¹; respectively) (p < 0.05), while vitamin B1 registered the lowest concentration (5.12 ± 0.31 and 2.22 ± 0.81 μg g⁻¹ of the young leaves of sorrel and the sorrel green soups; respectively) (p < 0.05). The results of chemical and physical properties, vitamins contents, and antioxidant profile of both sorrel leaves and meal proved that the sorrel plant is a good source of non-nutrient components, have enough contents of macro nutrient ingredients, and promising plant that have the different components of bioactive compounds.