Current status of genus Impatiens: Bioactive compounds and natural pigments with health benefits

Background: The market for edible flowers has grown exponentially due to consumers demand. This has been motivated by the concern to include healthier foods in the daily diet, leading to a great interest in these natural matrices. However, and although the consumption of this type of matrices are popularly associated with health benefits, scientific studies are still scarce. The industry seeks to satisfy the consumers demands and, at the same time, seeks to launch new challenges in the sector, in order to outline new conservation and production strategies. Although there are several flowers with edible potential in nature, many are still little explored or unnoticed, so this type of study is increasingly sought after. Scope and approach: The present review intendeds to explore the context of edible flowers as well as their conditions of production and consumption. Then, focusing on the characterization of the genus Impatiens, which, although is still little explored, gathers data on its chemical and nutritional characterization, bioactivities, and the possible exploration of natural pigments and industrial application. Key findings and conclusions: Several studies have been focused on the chemical characterization of flowers, evaluation their edibility, as well as validating their bioactive potential. In particular, the genus Impatiens is characterized by presenting perennial and succulent herbs with attractive colors, normally found in tropical forests. There are countless studies on the bioactive activities present in these edible flowers. In addition, its pigmentation has a direct relationship with the presence of several compounds, especially anthocyanins and their derivatives. These bioactive compounds have a great interest to the food industry and consumers, due to their diverse health benefits that are provided by their regular consumption.