Marigold Petals May Contain as Much Protein as Some Grains, Plus the Amino Acid Behind Umami
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Learn how marigold petals contain plant-based protein comparable to quinoa, umami-linked amino acids, and properties that could turn flower waste into future food ingredients.
Anastasia Scott is an Assistant Editor at Discover Magazine. Her work focuses on bringing clarity and creativity to scientific ideas. Marigold garlands hang around the necks of a bride and groom at an Indian wedding.
Months later and an ocean away, the same orange and yellow petals cover graves in Mexico during Día de los Muertos, meant to guide the dead home with their color and scent. Once each celebration ends, nearly all of those flowers get swept up and thrown out, taking a surprisingly capable protein source with them. A new study from the University of Georgia, published in ACS Food Science and Technology, found that these petals contain protein in a range roughly comparable to that of wheat, oats, corn, and quinoa.
The protein stays stable at higher baking temperatures than chickpea or pea protein, and one of its most abundant compounds is the amino acid behind umami, the savory taste found in foods like soy sauce and aged cheese. “Billions of dollars of flowers are thrown away each year,” said Anand Mohan, co-author of the study, in a press release. “Can you imagine if we were able to take those flowers and use them for food instead?” People have folded marigold petals into their cooking for generations, much before any lab confirmed why.
The bright orange flakes show up in soups across South Asia, get dried for tea, and land on plates as a citrus-tasting garnish with a flavor some compare to tarragon. The FDA already recognizes the flower as safe to eat, according to the study. What the study adds is a closer look at why that tradition might be worth taking seriously as something more than a garnish.
Marigold petals contain just under 10 percent protein by dry weight, most of it a class of water-soluble protein called albumin, the same category that gives egg whites their name, though the plant and animal versions are structurally distinct. In total, researchers identified around 622 proteins inside the flower, including 33 very small ones that may carry additional health benefits still being studied. In lab tests, that protein also stayed stable at higher temperatures than protein extracted from chickpeas or green peas, a quality that matters in baking, where proteins that break down too early can ruin a product's texture.
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