TITLE:
Study of Edible Spontaneous Herbs in the Republic of Moldova for Ensuring a Sustainable Food System
AUTHORS:
Rodica Siminiuc, Dinu Țurcanu
KEYWORDS:
Ethnobotany, Edible Spontaneous Herbs, Phytonutrients, Sustainable Development, Republic of Moldova
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.12 No.7,
July
14,
2021
ABSTRACT: Recent studies have shown that food systems fail to provide a healthy
diet and are unfair and ecologically unsustainable. Sustainable food production
will require multidisciplinary approaches, in which human, animal, and environmental health, are inextricably linked.
There are various researches that make edible spontaneous herbs (ESP) the protagonists of a new trend
in food approach, focused more on health, food safety, and connection with nature. The research consisted of the analysis and
capitalization of (ESH) from the territory of the Republic of Moldova (RM) by
reviewing their traditional use in local gastronomy and describing the
nutritional characteristics. Ethnographic research techniques, such as
conversations and interviews, were used to identify knowledge about the use of
ESH in the RM. The use, phytochemical profile, and curative effects of the
analyzed ESH were taken from the online database Plants For A Future (PFAF) and
the phytochemical and ethnobotanical database of the US Department of
Agriculture and Agricultural Research. The analysis of the specialized
literature on ESH consumption in the world showed that their culinary
application in the RM could still be diversified. Some of their properties
could possibly be used in the design of new products for people with special
diets.