Unlocking the potential of artichoke leaves, a sustainable source of healthy food ingredients

This work aimed to thoroughly investigate different fractions obtained from artichoke leaves, substantiating their potential use as functional ingredients. First, the proximate composition of leaf samples was determined, then the mineral and phenolic fractions were subjected to characterization. Interestingly, the leaf parts of artichoke leaves showed a higher content of protein and ash compared to the woody parts (15.53% vs. 3.62% and 13.11% vs. 8.05%, respectively). Among macroelements, potassium was more represented than sodium, and calcium more than magnesium, while iron was the most represented among the investigated microelements. The analysis of the phenolic fraction revealed significant differences between samples, with significantly higher concentrations in the leaf than in the woody samples. Chlorogenic acid was the most abundant compound, with a concentration ranging from 19.91 to 3.29 mg/g. Compositional data were useful variables for discriminating between the different samples using multivariate statistical analysis. Moreover, bioaccessibility studies of phenolic compounds showed that cynarin was more bioaccessible than chlorogenic acid in both the gastric and intestinal phases. Hydroalcoholic extracts were also demonstrated to exhibit significant broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and very low nonspecific cytotoxicity in epithelial intestinal cells. This study provides new insights into the fraction-specific bioactive properties of artichoke leaves, which could expand their potential as functional ingredients.