Carbohydrates Components of Some Italian Local Landraces: Garlic (Allium sativum L.)

Abstract

Abstract:Garlic is one of the most widespread and ancient medicinal plants. Its health benefits are due to its chemical components, and among these is carbohydrate, whose characteristics have been so far little investigated. The aim of this study is to typify the various components of carbohydrate (starch, individual sugars, fructans, and total dietary fibre) in four commonly consumed "Italian local landraces": Bianco Piacentino, Rosso di Castelliri, Rosso di Sulmona, Rosso di Proceno, which are grown in two different geographical areas-Viterbo and Alvito-under the same agronomic conditions. This study will also evaluate how genotype and the cultivation area can affect the profile of the carbohydrate components of these landrace strains. Regarding unavailable carbohydrates, all of the varieties showed appreciable contents of fructans, the most representative component, which ranged from 45.8 to 54.4 g/100 g d.w. In contrast, total dietary fibre values varied from 9.1 to 13.1 g/100 g d.w. in Rosso di Castelliri and Bianco Piacentino, respectively, which are both grown in Viterbo. As for starch, only some traces were found, while the amount of total sugars ranged between 2.12 and 3.27 g/100 g d.w., with higher levels of sucrose. Our findings could provide important information that may be adopted to enhance and promote the quality of some local Italian garlic landraces through highlighting the influence that the cultivar and the environmental conditions can have on carbohydrates components.

Evaluation of Garlic Landraces from Foggia Province (Puglia Region; Italy)

“…The variability of the morpho-biometrical traits of garlic genotypes has been widely reported [ 19 , 21 ]. The biometrical traits of the collected landraces are of a high standard in terms of bulb and clove weight in comparison with other Italian landraces [ 19 , 22 , 23 ] and also in comparison with the tested CG. The DM accumulation of the cloves of collected landraces was also in line with the values reported in various landraces such as those grown in Greece [ 24 ] and several genotypes grown in Spain [ 25 ].…”

“…On average, among the studied landraces, the greatest fraction of simple carbohydrates was represented by sucrose (85%), followed by fructose (10%) and glucose (5%) ( Table 2). Sucrose is reported as the main carbohydrate in genotypes collected from various Italian regions [22,28], Spain [25] and Greece [24]. In rare cases, fructose [25] or glucose [29] has been reported as the main sugar in garlic.…”

Vitamins and Minerals in Four Traditional Garlic Ecotypes (Allium sativum L.) from Italy: An Example of Territorial Biodiversity

“…The synergistic interactions between all the components, vitamins, saponins, and moderate levels of carotenoids contribute to provide the observed health benefits of garlic [21,26]. The advantages attributed to garlic consumption should also include the high fructooligo-/polysaccharide (FOS) content, responsible for its prebiotic activity, together with dietary fiber [27]. In recent years, many researchers have demonstrated various significant biological functions of garlic, including anticancer, cardiovascular protective, anti-inflammatory, and immune modulatory [28][29][30][31][32].…”

“…Despite the importance of knowledge of close linkage between the nutritional profile of local products and territory and cultivation practices [52], food composition data on Italian-specific landraces are still scarce, and studies are incomplete, especially regarding information on the amounts of vitamins. The identification and highlighting of the chemical properties of the landraces compared with "commercial" varieties may represent an added value of the product to better address the consumer preference [27,53] and stimulate cultivation, thus contributing to the protection of this biodiversity by promoting its conservation [53]. The valorization of the typical products by identifying and evaluating nutritional quality and safety characteristics represents an important goal for the preservation of local ecosystems [52,53].…”

The Close Linkage between Nutrition and Environment through Biodiversity and Sustainability: Local Foods, Traditional Recipes, and Sustainable Diets

“…Lisciani et al [4] focused their work on the carbohydrates component of some Italian local landraces of garlic, whereas El Riachy et al [5] studied the chemical and sensorial characteristics of olive oil produced from the Lebanese olive variety 'Baladi'.…”