A Preliminary Insight into Under-Researched Plants from the Asteraceae Family in the Balkan Peninsula: Bioactive Compound Diversity and Antioxidant Potential

Natural resources rich in polyphenols from plants belonging to the Asteraceae family remain largely unexplored. The main goal of this study was to characterize under-studied Asteraceae plants in terms of different bioactive compounds, antioxidant potential, and chemical profile. Twenty-three samples from 19 plant species were analyzed using conventional solid/liquid extraction, and the contents of total phenolics (TP), flavonoids (TF), flavonols (FL), hydroxycinnamic acids (HCA) and condensed tannins (CT), as well as extraction yield were determined. Antioxidant activity was assessed using DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays, and five plant samples were subjected to LC-MS analysis. Extraction yields ranged from 0.57% to 1.74%. <i>Solidago virgaurea</i> had the highest TP and FL contents, while <i>Tanacetum vulgare</i> showed the highest TF and HCA levels. The highest CT content was found in the roots of <i>Helianthus tuberosus</i>. Asteraceae species such as <i>S. virgaurea</i>, <i>Tussilago farfara</i>, <i>Cota tinctoria</i>, <i>T. vulgare</i>, and <i>Inula ensifolia</i> demonstrated the greatest antioxidant potential, with about 130 different identified compounds. Given the promising chemical richness of these under-researched species, future studies should focus on enhancing extraction of bioactive compounds using novel techniques and incorporating extracts as natural, non-synthetic preservatives in various products to improve their nutritional and biological properties.