Detection of flavonoids in some Mediterranean plants.

Due to nutritional and healthy properties, minor fruits obtained from wild or cultivated plants in the Mediterranean area are used in various traditional food products. But, as the harvesting and processing of these fruits are often not easy, plants which play an important role in the landscape, environment and soil preservation can remain underutilized. However, these plants also contain valuable compounds with biological activity and chemical characteristics which could make their cultivation and manufacturing advantageous. Among such compounds, polyphenols and especially flavonoids are of considerable interest for potential medical and industrial utilizations. This paper reports experiments carried out for the recognition of these compounds in plants as mulberry, pomegranate and strawberry-tree in order to evaluate, beyond the use of the fruits in the food industry, the suitability of their extraction and so also of the growing, management and processing of these plants