Phenolic compounds from unconventional food plants occurring spontane-ously in an agroforestry system

In agroforestry systems, the interaction between different species recreates the activity of natural ecosystems, therefore, the herbaceous stratum tends to be diverse with occurrence of several spontaneous plants. This study aimed to survey leafy plant species with spontaneous occurrence of herbaceous extract present in an agroforestry system, identify the unconventional food plants (UFP), analyze biochemical characteristics and determine the total content of phenolic and flavonoid compounds of the species. A total of 33 species were collected across four seasonal collections, 14 of which were identified as UFP. Data analysis using ANOVA and the Scott-Knott test at 5% significance revealed significant differences among species for all variables evaluated. The average water content was 84%, while nitrogen content varied significantly, with a mean of 30.34%. The reducing sugar content was consistent across species, averaging 6.6%. The total phenolic content results were expressed on a dry weight basis ranged from 0.007 g GAE 100 g⁻¹ for Alternanthera tenella to 0.144 g GAE 100 g⁻¹ for Emilia fosbergii. The total flavonoid content ranged from 0.121 g QE 100 g⁻¹ in Sonchus oleraceus to 1.071 g QE 100 g⁻¹ in Raphanus raphanistrum, which, along with Emilia fosbergii (1.048 g QE 100 g⁻¹), exhibited the highest values of total flavonoid content. These findings suggest that the spontaneous herbaceous plants found in the agroforestry system are rich in bioactive compounds, offering potential for food diversification and contributing to local biodiversity conservation.