Volume 68, June 2015, Pages 42–49
FIBRE CROPS: from production to end use
Highlights
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- We collected updated information on potential uses of stinging nettle.
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- We fixed main cultivation inputs and the still undefined practices.
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- In medicine and cosmetic industry stinking nettle demonstrated several added value potential application.
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- High valuable fibre crop with high cellulose content of approx. 86%.
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- High nutritive value, source of carotenoids, vitamins, minerals and protein.
Abstract
Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica
L.) is a well-known plant species that is considered a weed in
intensive agriculture. This crop has gained the interest both
scientifically and commercially because it is the source of many
added-value natural products by exploiting all the plant parts (stem,
leaves, roots and seeds). The main objective of this article is to
describe-along with unpublished data-information that is spread in
different sources, giving an updated and comprehensive overview of the
potential end-products, covering aspects related to the whole plant
production chain, and at the same time, providing unpublished data
collected under different projects.
The effects of
nettle cultivation on the environment are potentially favourable, it
being a perennial low-requirement crop (it can reach about 3–12 Mg ha−1
dry stalk yield with low inputs). Stinging nettle has a long history as
a textile fibre; its fibre quality has been demonstrated (e.g.
cellulose content around 86%) and is highly depending on the extraction
method. Furthermore, several studies confirmed the presence of numerous
active compounds, especially in nettle leaves (e.g. caffeic
acid derivative compounds, ceramides, nine forms of carotenoids,
essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, phytosterols, glycosides and
proteins), with most promising application in the food/feed, medicinal
and cosmetic sectors. Although with high market potentials, the products
made from nettle are currently more a result of curiosity rather than
large-scale industrial production, mostly due to lack in crop and
post-harvest management. The definition of a production chain able to
exploit the plant biomass as much as possible is a prerequisite to
increase income and boost farmers’ adoption, and to attract investors.
Keywords
- Urtica dioica L.;
- Fibre production;
- Multipurpose crop;
- Cultivation;
- Uses;
- Natural products
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +39 051 63909004; fax: +39 051 6399024.
- 1
- Tel.:
+30 210 5294315; fax: +30 210 5294301.
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- Tel.: +37 045 555 413; fax: +37 045 555573.
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- Tel.: +39 055 3033711; fax: +39 055 308910.
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- Tel.: +48 61 8455854.
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