Functional food design of dandelion salad with antibacterial properties

Dandelion is a wild herbaceous plant commonly consumed in the daily diet of Western countries. It contains large amounts of nutrients including minerals, iron, calcium, sodium, magnesium, and vitamins A, B, C, E, and K. It is also a traditional Chinese medicine with a wide range of pharmacological activities including antimicrobial. In traditional Chinese medicine, dandelion is “isogenic of medicine and food”, which may be functional as food and medicine. “Chinese herbal salad” is a usual choice for the Chinese; but, it is difficult to classify its quality and quantity. The quality relies on the place of origin or method of cultivation, and the quantity depends on the amount of dandelion used in making Chinese herbal salad for a specific function, such as antibacterial properties. Therefore, the present work designed a functional food (Chinese herbal salad) using dandelion as the ingredient, and compared different cultivation methods (soil or hydroponic) in terms of their antibacterial properties. A questionnaire survey was also conducted on the dandelion salad to verify its acceptance and suitability for use in salad recipes. This would develop a more diverse and innovative dandelion food available to the public, and promote the use of this herbal plant as a health and nutritional supplement in the daily diet.