Genetic Changes In Common Dandelion ( Taraxacum officinale ) Induced by High Concentrations of Heavy Metals in Soil | Functional Foods in Health and Disease - Online ISSN: 2160-3855; Print ISSN: 2378-7007 Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer Open Menu Functional Foods in Health and Disease - Online ISSN: 2160-3855; Print ISSN: 2378-7007 Home Food Science Publisher Functional Food Center Current Archives About About the Journal Aims and Scope Contact Editing Services Editorial Team Express Peer Review Graphical Abstract Journal Insights Privacy Statement Submissions Announcements Search Search Register Login Home / Archives / Vol. 15 No. 9 (2025): September 2025 / Research Articles Genetic Changes In Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) Induced by High Concentrations of Heavy Metals in Soil Authors Bella Babayan Alexander Yesayan Garegin Sevoyan Tigran Yesayan DOI: https://doi.org/10.31989/ffhd.v15i9.1753 Abstract Background: Heavy metal contamination poses a significant environmental threat in developing regions such as the Syunik Province of Armenia, where agricultural lands coexist with metal mining operations. Heavy metals are genotoxic, therefore, the study of genetic changes in wild and cultivated edible plants here is essential for evaluating the safety of traditional plant-based foods (“zhengyal,” honey, herbal teas, etc.). Taraxacum officinale (dandelion) is notable for its use in traditional diets and the accumulation of micronutrients. Thus, it’s prospective for both environmental monitoring and functional food development. Context and purpose of this study: The relation between heavy metal contamination of environment and DNA polymorphisms of T. officinale from Syunik, Armenia was studied. Results: Significant genetic variation was observed among the samples, with the highest polymorphism (95.46%) in Artsvanik Village and the lowest (73.24%) in Ttujur District. Increased soil concentrations of Fe and Mn were correlated with greater DNA polymorphism, suggesting a higher mutation rate in contaminated areas. These results point to a direct relationship between heavy metal exposure and genome instability in dandelion plants. Conclusions: Significant genetic changes were observed in samples from all surveyed locations in Syunik. T. officinale is able to accumulate heavy metals and may be used in ecotoxicological and remediation research as bio-indicator. Also, it could be recommended for further research as potential source for bioactive supplements and functional foods elaboration with diuretic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, and immunomodulatory properties. Keywords: Taraxacum officinale, food safety, heavy metals, soil contamination, PCR, polymorphism Downloads [Abstract] [Full Article] Published 2025-09-16 Issue Vol. 15 No. 9 (2025): September 2025 Section Research Articles License Copyright (c) 2025 Functional Foods in Health and Disease - Online ISSN: 2160-3855; Print ISSN: 2378-7007 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Authors retain the copyright of their articles and grant the Functional Food Center (FFC) and its journals the right of first publication under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, including commercial use, provided the original author(s) and source are properly credited. Authors may post and share their published work freely, provided that the original publication in this journal is acknowledged. By submitting to this journal, authors confirm that their manuscripts are original, not under consideration elsewhere, and that they hold the necessary rights to grant this license. The Functional Food Center encourages open scientific exchange and allows derivative and extended works, provided attribution to the original publication is maintained. About the Journal      Editing Services      Graphical Abstract      Journal Insights        Submissions        Editorial Team       Privacy Statement        Contact        Current        Archives   Open Journal Systems Hosting and Support by: OpenJournalSystems.com