Mediterranean Wild Edible Plants

This book provides the latest published nutritional data about wild edible plants traditionally consumed in the Mediterranean region. This information, not usually included in nutrient databases of foods, provides insight into the revalorization of wild food species and preservation of their traditional uses. The text also presents wild edible plants as alternatives to improve the diversity of modern Mediterranean diets, as they may represent valuable sources of nutrients often lacking in modern societies, such as fiber or vitamin B9. This work has expanded from the two initial groups, to involve different contributors, including experts from different countries, most of them bordering the Mediterranean Sea. As a result, a multidisciplinary approach has been achieved.The book is organized into four parts that deals with different aspects of wild edible plants, the last one and largest offering a detailed compilation of ethnobotanical and nutritional information about some of the most important Mediterranean wild edible plants.

Autorentext

Dr. María de Cortes Sánchez-Mata, PhD in Pharmacy, is currently a professor in Food Science at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain. She has performed a continuous research on the analysis of nutrients, antinutrients and bioactive compounds in plant foods, with the focus on human health promotion. Dr. Javier Tardío, PhD in Agricultural Engineering, is currently a researcher at IMIDRA (Madrid Institute for Rural Development, Agriculture and Food Research), in Madrid, Spain. He has maintained an active research on different aspects of Ethnobotany, especially on Mediterranean wild edible plants.

Zusammenfassung
This book is the result of collaboration between botanists and food chemists, with the purpose of improving the knowledge of the main wild species of traditional use as foods in the Mediterranean area, focus on ethnobotanical aspects, natural production, uses and nutritional aspects. One of the novelties of the book would be the publication of complete food composition tables of more than 40 species, which are not usually included in nutrient databases of foods. Many of the data included comes from the chemical analysis of representative samples of these species and other are compiled from the scientific literature. Since this topic had not been fully studied, this book provides an interesting tool to be used with the purpose of the revalorization of wild food species, preservation of their traditional uses, and also as alternatives to improve the diversity of modern Mediterranean diets.

Inhalt
Preface.- A Historical Perspective of Wild Plant Foods in the Mediterranean Area.- The Mediterranean Landscape and Wild Edible Plants.- Nutritional Ethnnobotany in Europe: From Emergency Foods to Healthy Folk Cuisines and Contemporary Foraging Trends.- Ethnobotanical Analysis of Wild Fruits and Vegetables Traditionally Consumed in Spain.- Natural Production and Cultivation of Mediterranean Wild Edibles.- The Contribution of Wild Plants to Dietary Intakes of Micronutrients (I): Vitamins.- The Contribution of Wild Plants to Dietary Intakes of Micronutrients (II): Mineral Elements.- Fatty Acid Profiles of Mediterranean Wild Edible Plants.- Wild Edible Plants As Sources of Carotenoids, Fibre, Phenolics and Other Non-nutrient Bioactive Compounds.- Antioxidant Potential of Wild Plant Foods.- Antimicrobial Potential of Wild Edible Herbaceous Species.- Recent Advances in Research on Wild Food Plants and Their Biological-Pharmacological Activity.- Ethnobotanical and Food Composition Monographs of Selected Mediterranean Wild Edible Plants.