Physicochemical Quality, Antioxidant Capacity and Nutritional Value in Tuberous Roots of Some Wild Dahlia Species

The aim of this research was to evaluate the physicochemical quality, antioxidant capacity and nutritional value in tuberous roots of some wild dahlia species. The experiment was carried out in the Department of Plant Science of the Autonomous University Chapingo, Mexico. Plants were established in a randomized complete block design with five replications. The total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), vitamin C (VC), total phenols (TP), antioxidant capacity (AC), inulin and its proximate composition were evaluated. Among the materials analyzed, the most outstanding wild species were Dahlia campanulata, D. coccinea and D. brevis, where D. campanulata stood out for its concentration of VC (0.05 mg 100 g-1), AC (1.88 mg VCEAC g-1), inulin, DM and TC (72.25, 24.38 and 88.37%, respectively), however, the inulin content was similar to D. coccinea (66.17%), which was also outstanding with respect to the content of TP (1.74 mg GA g-1). Likewise, D. brevis presented the highest values of RFi (5.49%) and A (78.42%). According to our results, the tuberous roots of wild dahlia species can be used as food, as well as being a source of selection of traits of nutraceutic interest for genetic improvement.