Composition of Capers ( Capparis spinosa ): Influence of Cultivar, Size and Harvest Date

Average composition values of capers found were as follows: moisture 79%, ash 1.6%, protein 5.8%, fat 1.6%, Ca 871 ppm, Mg 636 ppm, K 542 mg/100mL, Na 226 ppm, Fe 13 ppm, P 21 mg/100g, and raw fibre 5.4%. These values were affected by cultivar, size and harvest date. Of the flavonoids present, rutin, kaempferol‐3‐glucoside, kaempferol‐3‐rutinoside and kaempferol‐3‐rhamnorutinoside were identified and rutin was most abundant. A flavonoid derived from kaempferol and two from quercetin were detected but not identified. More than 50% of the fatty acids in both cultivars were polyunsaturates.