Steam-cooking rapidly destroys and reverses onion-induced antiplatelet activity

Abstract

BackgroundFoods in the diet that can aid in the prevention of diseases are of major interest. Onions are key ingredients in many cuisines around the world and moreover, onion demand has trended higher over the past three decades. An important pharmacological aspect of onion is the ability to inhibit platelet aggregation. Raw onions inhibit platelet aggregation; however, when onions are boiled or heated, antiplatelet activity may be abolished.MethodsOnion quarters were steamed for 0, 1, 3, 6, 10, and 15 min. The in vitro antiplatelet activity of a yellow hybrid storage onion was examined at these times on the blood of 12 human subjects using in vitro whole blood aggregometry.ResultsContrary to findings reported for boiling, antiplatelet activity was destroyed between 3 and 6 min of steaming, and at 10 min of steaming, cooked onions stimulated platelet activity. Extracts from cooked onion had the potential to reverse the inhibitory effect on blood platelets by 25%. Responses were consistent across all donors. Total polyphenolic concentration and soluble solids were not affected by steaming time.ConclusionsThe potential value of cooked onion preparations may result in destruction or reversal of antiplatelet activity, without affecting the polyphenolic concentration.

Stability and extraction of bioactive sulfur compounds from Allium genus processed by traditional and innovative technologies

“…al. (2012), steam cooking was shown to destroy the onion induced antiplatelet activity without changing the total polyphenolic concentration (Hansen et al, 2012), suggesting that the negative effects of heating triggered destruction of sulfur bioactive compounds. Additionally, the formation of allicin in fried garlic at 180 °C significantly decreased with processing (de Queiroz et al,…”

“…chewing, crushing, etc.). This results in the formation of chemically unstable sulfinic acids which can subsequently be converted to a range of sulfurous based compounds, for example, thiosulfinates (TSs), which can undergo further dissociation and rearrangements to volatile and non-volatile compounds (Hansen et al, 2012;.…”

Allium Flavonols: Health Benefits, Molecular Targets, and Bioavailability

“…The main bioactive constituents in alliums include organosulfur compounds (OSCs) and polyphenols [10]. However, the complex chemistry of OSCs, due to their highly-volatile and thermally-unstable nature, likely impairs their health benefits [10][11][12][13]. In this context, allium polyphenols, with relatively higher stability than OSCs and associated antioxidant functions have emerged as more viable bioactive constituents in of Allium-derived polyphenols, in particular, flavonols, are attributed to their antioxidant activity which governs their functional properties including anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiglycemic, and anticancer effects [14][15][16].…”

“…The main bioactive constituents in alliums include organosulfur compounds (OSCs) and polyphenols [ 10 ]. However, the complex chemistry of OSCs, due to their highly-volatile and thermally-unstable nature, likely impairs their health benefits [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]. In this context, allium polyphenols, with relatively higher stability than OSCs and associated antioxidant functions have emerged as more viable bioactive constituents in Allium species.…”

The Future of Breeding Vegetables with Human Health Functionality: Realities, Challenges, and Opportunities

“…This in turn poses a dilemma for consumers because increased pungency necessitates cooking to render onions and garlic palatable. Numerous studies have demonstrated that cooking and heating reduce or destroy in vitro health-related properties such as the ability of these vegetables to inhibit platelet aggregation (Chen et al, 2000;Hansen et al, 2012). Thus, significant attempts have been made to breed onion for lower amounts of pungency and associated organosulfur compounds so that the vegetables can be more palatable and desirable in raw form.…”