Table 2.
Content of total carotenoids and the major carotenoids lutein and β-carotene in fern fiddleheads analyzed by HPLC.
| Lutein | β-Carotene | Total Carotenoids | Ratio of β-Carotene to Total Carotenoids | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | (µg·g−1 DW) | (µg·g−1 DW) | (µg·g−1 DW) | Car/(X+C) | ||||||||||||
| H Asplenium scolopendrium | 211.75 | ± | 7.62 | 88.85 | ± | 6.37 | 389.26 | ± | 17.86 | 0.228 | ± | 0.007 | ||||
| Athyrium distentifolium | 179.82 | ± | 19.58 | 96.45 | ± | 6.30 | 378.92 | ± | 28.51 | 0.255 | ± | 0.015 | ||||
| H Athyrium filix-femina | 223.24 | ± | 28.27 | 154.61 | ± | 11.13 | 478.16 | ± | 20.24 | 0.324 | ± | 0.034 | ||||
| W Pteridium aquilinum | 143.03 | ± | 15.31 | 67.82 | ± | 0.92 | 301.30 | ± | 16.27 | 0.225 | ± | 0.009 | ||||
| Dryopteris aemula | 117.53 | ± | 14.65 | 98.80 | ± | 7.34 | 262.82 | ± | 23.57 | 0.376 | ± | 0.010 | ||||
| Dryopteris affinis | 92.00 | ± | 4.45 | 54.54 | ± | 2.58 | 194.40 | ± | 6.50 | 0.281 | ± | 0.023 | ||||
| Dryopteris borreri | 59.81 | ± | 4.36 | 100.03 | ± | 5.91 | 214.32 | ± | 13.54 | 0.467 | ± | 0.011 | ˃1.5M | |||
| Dryopteris cambrensis | 25.25 | ± | 3.08 | 11.99 | ± | 1.98 | 63.27 | ± | 6.23 | 0.193 | ± | 0.051 | ||||
| Dryopteris carthusiana | 241.03 | ± | 45.23 | ˃1.5M | 126.32 | ± | 13.60 | 495.95 | ± | 65.65 | 0.256 | ± | 0.016 | |||
| Dryopteris caucasica | 121.57 | ± | 11.85 | 156.42 | ± | 11.33 | ˃1.5M | 360.21 | ± | 23.93 | 0.434 | ± | 0.013 | ˃1.5M | ||
| H Dryopteris dilatata | 108.36 | ± | 5.35 | 100.69 | ± | 9.64 | 235.94 | ± | 8.51 | 0.427 | ± | 0.035 | ˃1.5M | |||
| Dryopteris expansa | 158.37 | ± | 41.43 | 180.10 | ± | 19.15 | * ˃1.5M | 395.30 | ± | 61.90 | 0.458 | ± | 0.025 | ˃1.5M | ||
| H Dryopteris filix-mas | 216.40 | ± | 23.84 | 127.89 | ± | 11.29 | 416.08 | ± | 40.11 | 0.308 | ± | 0.003 | ||||
| Dryopteris oreades | 98.63 | ± | 9.57 | 201.61 | ± | 7.03 | * ˃1.5M | 406.46 | ± | 15.07 | 0.496 | ± | 0.005 | * ˃1.5M | ||
| Dryopteris remota | 112.40 | ± | 9.88 | 156.83 | ± | 7.86 | ˃1.5M | 312.04 | ± | 20.87 | 0.503 | ± | 0.011 | * ˃1.5M | ||
| H Polystichum aculeatum | 231.69 | ± | 25.98 | 186.18 | ± | 11.06 | * ˃1.5M | 560.11 | ± | 11.29 | ˃1.5M | 0.333 | ± | 0.022 | ||
| Polystichum aculeatum | 161.62 | ± | 2.63 | 179.93 | ± | 9.08 | * ˃1.5M | 447.42 | ± | 15.97 | 0.402 | ± | 0.007 | |||
| Polystichum setiferum | 252.42 | ± | 24.73 | ˃1.5M | 127.17 | ± | 13.22 | 536.59 | ± | 45.18 | 0.237 | ± | 0.005 | |||
| H Matteuccia struthiopteris | 207.08 | ± | 10.56 | 92.21 | ± | 4.04 | 409.92 | ± | 20.10 | 0.225 | ± | 0.018 | ||||
| Onoclea sensibilis | 107.55 | ± | 14.04 | 56.82 | ± | 6.47 | 215.91 | ± | 25.73 | 0.263 | ± | 0.007 | ||||
| H Osmunda regalis | 182.53 | ± | 22.79 | 109.16 | ± | 8.43 | 364.13 | ± | 9.21 | 0.300 | ± | 0.030 | ||||
| Osmunda regalis | 162.62 | ± | 6.29 | 91.24 | ± | 2.79 | 321.83 | ± | 11.92 | 0.284 | ± | 0.006 | ||||
| H Polypodium vulgare | 229.13 | ± | 15.17 | 137.18 | ± | 8.19 | 464.09 | ± | 18.17 | 0.295 | ± | 0.009 | ||||
| Polypodium vulgare | 196.24 | ± | 10.56 | 109.17 | ± | 7.42 | 405.65 | ± | 12.98 | 0.269 | ± | 0.015 | ||||
| Lastrea limbosperma | 141.36 | ± | 0.74 | 64.17 | ± | 8.95 | 286.15 | ± | 13.33 | 0.224 | ± | 0.020 | ||||
| W Lastrea limbosperma | 223.13 | ± | 15.83 | 101.29 | ± | 6.43 | 449.63 | ± | 24.76 | 0.225 | ± | 0.002 | ||||
| Phegopteris connectilis | 93.09 | ± | 8.19 | 53.45 | ± | 2.29 | 198.42 | ± | 15.02 | 0.270 | ± | 0.009 | ||||
| Thelypteris palustris | 98.37 | ± | 10.45 | 49.84 | ± | 1.20 | 209.47 | ± | 15.30 | 0.239 | ± | 0.022 | ||||
| Average of all ferns | 157.00 | ± | 14.73 | 110.03 | ± | 7.57 | 349.06 | ± | 21.70 | 0.314 | ± | 0.016 | ||||
| Eruca sativa | 188.26 | ± | 22.75 | 96.68 | ± | 12.14 | 384.95 | ± | 42.30 | 0.251 | ± | 0.005 | ||||
| Spinacia oleracea | 68.86 | ± | 10.61 | 30.58 | ± | 3.50 | 122.09 | ± | 17.50 | 0.251 | ± | 0.009 | ||||
H marks horticulture species from garden centers, cultivated in pots, W marks species collected in wild, unmarked fern species were collected in botanical gardens, * marks species statistically distinguished from all samples (ANOVA, Duncan test at p ≤ 0.05), ˃1.5 M marks values exceeding 1.5 times higher to the median value.