Argentinian Rose Petals as a Source of Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Compounds

The total phenolic, flavonoid, and anthocyanin contents were evaluated in 11 cultivars of Argentinian roses of different colors. HPLC-ESI-QTOF/MS was used to identify the components where ellagic and quinic acids, quercetin, and kaempferol glycosylated derivatives were found. The phenolic contents ranged from 78.8 ± 3.2 to 203.4 ± 3.1 mg GAE/g dw, the flavonoid content ranged from 19.1 ± 3.8 to 125.9 ± 6.5 mg QE/g dw, and the anthocyanin content ranged from less than 0.01 to 5.8 ± 0.1 mg CE/g dw. The dark red cultivars exhibited the greatest levels of the analyzed compounds and of the antioxidant activities, even higher than those of certain plants known for their high phenolic contents and antioxidant activity. Moreover, the addition of these extracts decreased the population of L. innocua and P. aeruginosa to undetectable levels 24 h after inoculation. Rose petal extracts, mainly those with a dark red color, can be used as natural additives in food, feed, and cosmetics, as they contain a high proportion of bioactive compounds with antioxidant and antimicrobial effects.