ABSTRACT
In order to provide new information on the antioxidant activities before and after in vitro
digestion of the selected flowers for consumers, nutritionists, and food policy makers, total
phenolic and flavonoid contents and antioxidant capacities of 23 edible flowers were evaluated.
In addition, some bioactive components in the flowers were also identified and quantified
by ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). The correlations between 2, 2-diphenyl-
1-picrylhydrazylradical scavenging activity assay (DPPH), Ferric reducing antioxidant power
assay (FRAP), and ABTS•+ radical cation scavenging activity assay (ABTS) values and total
flavonoid contents and total phenolic contents were also evaluated.Three flowers, Osmanthus
fragrans (Thunb.) Lour, Paeonia lactiflora Pall, and Rosa rugosa Thunb (purple) showed the
strongest antioxidant activities before or after the digestion, which implied that these flowers
are important natural sources for the prevention of oxidative stress diseases