The genusallium—part 1

Abstract

Alliums have been grown for many centuries for their characteristic, pungent flavor and medicinal properties. The present review, which includes references published up to the middle of 1984, is primarily concerned with the chemical composition, flavor, and physiological properties of these crops, their extracts, and processed products. Special emphasis is placed upon the relationship between the organoleptically and biologically active components of onion and garlic. Following a brief historical introduction, current production of commercially important alliums is described and their botanical origins and interrelationships are explained. Following consideration of the major economic diseases and pests of alliums, the agronomic, husbandry, and practices associated with their cultivation are described, particular emphasis being placed upon the storage and processing of onion and garlic. The detailed, overall chemical composition and nutritional value of members of the genus Allium are presented in Section 7; after an outline of the origin and nature of flavor components and precursors, the flavor volatiles of individual members are presented. The effects of agronomic, environmental, and processing practices on chemical and flavor content and quality are considered in Section 9. The following section deals critically with the human and animal studies which have been conducted into the medical and therapeutic properties of alliums, emphasis being placed upon the studies into the antiatherosclerotic effect of onion and garlic and their essential oils. After a study of antimicrobial properties of alliums and their effects on insects and animals, an overview is presented which highlights unexplored or inadequately studied areas and suggests rewarding areas for future research.

Interactions among genotype, environment and agronomic practices on production and quality of storage onion (Allium cepa L.) - A review

“…The quality of storage onion bulbs is ascribed to several indicators, such as thiosulfonates, pyruvic acid, dry residue, soluble solids, sugars, amino acids, lectins, saponins, mineral nutrients, vitamins C and E, polyphenols (Fenwick, Hanley 1985). Most of these substances show biological and pharmacological activities, such as antifungal, antibacterial, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic and hypocholesterolemic properties (Tansey, Appleton 1975;Tsao, Yin 2001;Rose et al 2005;Lanzotti 2006).…”

The microaerophilic flagellate Giardia intestinalis: Allium sativum (garlic) is an effective antigiardial

“…Garlic has been shown to be antibacterial (Sharma et al, 1977), antiviral (Fenwick & Hanley, 1985) and antifungal (Yamada & Azuma, 1977), as well as possessing both antitumour (Milner, 1996) and antithrombotic (Kiesewetter et al, 1993) properties. Traditionally, the sulphur compound allicin was thought to be responsible for these properties ; however, pharmacokinetic studies on allicin show that its half-life in vivo may be too short to account for the activity seen in vitro (Lawson & Wang, 1993).…”

Antibacterial Potential of Garlic-Derived Allicin and Its Cancellation by Sulfhydryl Compounds

“…5) The growth of more than 300 kinds of microbes has been found to be inhibited by allicin, 1) and numerous reports have described the antibacterial potential of allicin in comparison with that of clinically effective antibiotic drugs. 6,7) As one of the advantages of allicin over other antibiotics, it can be easily and cheaply prepared from garlic, and it is known to be effective even against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).…”

“…1) Especially, because garlic has strong antimicrobial activity and a strong odor, people used to use garlic to preserve meat and fish for as long as possible and to mask the smell of their sometimes rotting foods. Historically, the antimicrobial activity of garlic was recognized by Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), who used garlic juice to treat infections, and Albert Schweitzer , who treated amoebic dysentery only with garlic.…”