Physical-Chemical and Nutritional Assessment of Elionurus muticus (Spreng.): An Underutilized Medicinal and Aromatic Plant from South America

Abstract

Elionurus muticus (Spreng) Kuntze,“espartillo” is a medicinal and aromatic plant that naturally grows in South America. Espartillo leaf is consumed as infusion, due to its pleasant aroma and taste. The present study explored nutritional and physicochemical properties of espartillo considering its agro-industrial projection. There were determined here: nutritional value, essential oilprofile, phenolic compounds with antioxidant activity, and equilibrium moisture isotherms from 25-50°C. The following values were obtained the nutritional value: dietary fibber 29.5%, carbohydrates 6.2%; crude protein 2.0%, lipids 1.8%, ash content 3.2%, and moisture content 57.3%. The energy value was 49kcal/100g. The essential oil yielded 0.97%, with neral (35.3%) and geranial (43.8%) as its main components. Total phenolic compounds ranged 42.9-65.0 mg AGE/g; and flavonoids 11.8-13.1 mg QE/g.Polar extracts displayed high DPPH• scavenging activity (IC50=54–90µg/mL), comparable to BHT and the essential oil. The Oswin equation was the best modelto describe the equilibrium moisture behaviour (25 and 30°C) of espartillo; and the Henderson model (40 and 50°C). Based on the results, espartillo can be considered an important source of aromatics, dietary fibber andbioactive compounds, with potential for use in both food formulations and pharmaceutical applications to enhance nutrient composition and bioactivity.