Allium Species in the Balkan Region—Major Metabolites, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties

Abstract

Ever since ancient times, Allium species have played a significant role in the human diet, in traditional medicine for the treatment of many ailments, and in officinal medicine as a supplemental ingredient. The major metabolites of alliums, as well as their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, with an emphasis on the species most represented in the Balkan region, are discussed in this review. Due to its richness in endemic species, the Balkan region is considered the genocenter of alliums. There are 56 recorded Allium species in the Balkans, and 17 of them are endemic. The most common and well-studied Allium species in the Balkans are A. cepa (onion), A. sativum (garlic), A. ampeloprasum (leek), A. schoenoprasum (chives), A. fistulosum (Welsh onion), and A. ursinum (wild garlic or bear’s garlic), which are known for their pungent taste and smell, especially noticeable in garlic and onion, and attributed to various organosulfur compounds. These plants are valued for their macronutrients and are used as desirable vegetables and spices. Additionally, phytochemicals such as organosulfur compounds, phenolics, fatty acids, and saponins are associated with the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of these species, among many other bioactivities. All parts of the plant including the bulb, peel, clove, leaf, pseudostem, root, flower, and seed exhibit antioxidant properties in different in vitro assays. The characteristic phytocompounds that contribute to the antimicrobial activity of alliums include allicin, ajoene, allyl alcohol, and some diallyl sulfides. Nanoparticles synthesized using Allium species are also recognized for their notable antimicrobial properties.

Phenolic Content, Amino Acids, Volatile Compounds, Antioxidant Capacity, and Their Relationship in Wild Garlic (A. ursinum L.)

“…The availability of water is one of the known factors related to the variation in the production of metabolites in plants [45]. Since wild garlic prefers humid soils, water availability, in the form of either groundwater or rainfall, has most certainly affected the production of plant metabolites and, consequently, the antioxidant capacity [45,52]. According to Heimler et al [48], the supply of nitrogen in the soil affects the phenolic content, and hence, the carbon/nitrogen balance pathways should be considered.…”

“…Moreover, Jones et al [53] reported that the nitrogen supply may influence sulfur uptake and the formation of CSOs, in the sense that the nitrogen metabolism is heavily intertwined with the sulfur metabolism. According to Vuković et al [52], wild garlic also prefers soils well-supplied with nutrients. The nitrogen supply in the soil could have easily affected the contents of phenolic and organosulfur compounds in our samples, as well as the antioxidant capacity.…”

A Brief Review on Pharmacological Potential of Allium porrum

“…They are rarely found in dense vegetation and are considered weak competitors to weeds. The richest area for these species stretches from the Mediterranean basin to Central Asia and Pakistan [2] . Allium species contain various bioactive compounds, including organo-sulphur compounds, phenolic compounds, nonstructural and soluble carbohydrates, amino acids, and organic acids.…”

Antimicrobial Properties of Capsaicin: Available Data and Future Research Perspectives

“…In the last decades there has been an increasing interest in the development of new antimicrobial substances from plants, as evidenced by a multitude of research on the subject (e.g., [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]). This renewed interest is based on the long-standing medical practices of various traditional medical systems, where plants and their derived extracts have been reported to have a host of applications.…”