Flowers on the Plate: Beauty Benefits and Risks

Abstract

Nowadays, flowers are used as part of a dish for decoration or as raw food material for the reason that adding value and create a novelty to attract consumers to interest in the food item. However, the flowers themselves are found to be at risk of food insecurity such as toxins created by flowers themselves, heavy metals that flowers absorb from polluted environments, pesticides from growing flowers in the same area as other agricultural products, and contamination from soil microorganisms that the flowers grow. Moreover, the inability to wash flowers like other agricultural products will increase the risk of getting harmful from the flowers of the customers. Nevertheless, flowers are considered important sources of Phytochemicals such as Phenolic Compounds, Flavonoids, Carotenoids, and Anthocyanins. These phytochemicals can inhibit cancer cells, anti-inflammatory cells, and diabetes. Therefore, the consumers must consume flowers only from reliable sources such as organic planting and avoid consuming flowers from florist shops because there may be pesticide residues. In addition, to prevent problems with the digestive system and allergies, it is better to start consuming unknown flowers only for a small