Principali: Aglio, cipolla, porro

ORTAGGI DA BULBOORTAGGI DA BULBO

Botanical Name : Allium sativum L.

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Garlic has been grown and used as a medicinal since ancient times. The Indians, Chinese, Sumerians, and ancient Egyptians consumed garlic over 4,000 years ago. Hippocrates (430 BC) and Theophras Tuso (322 BC) described the use of garlic in Greek and Roman periods.

The Greeks used it to treat colds and coughs, the Egyptians used it to provide strength and prevent diseases, and the Romans for providing courage.

Producing RegionsGarlic is native to Asia, but introduced into the warm climates worldwide. It is grown in the Mediterranean region and central Asia for centuries. China, India, Korea, Egypt, Argentina, Spain, and USA are the major garlic growing countries.

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Active ConstituentsFresh garlic cloves contain moisture 63%, protein 6%, fat 0.1%, mineral matter 1%, fiber 1%, and carbohydrates 29%, with vitamins, iron, sodium, and potassium.

Garlic powder contains moisture 5%, protein 17.5%, fiber 2%, and carbohydrates 71%.

Garlic contains 0.1–0.4% volatile oil, alliin, enzymes, ajoenes, minerals, and proteins. The major compounds in the oil are the sulfur compounds. Allicin is the major odor principle produced by the action of the enzyme alliinase on alliin.

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Preparation and ConsumptionGarlic is used in almost every cuisine, but traditionally it is very popular in Mediterranean cooking, Mexican, Central and South American dishes, essential in Indian, Chinese, and south-eastern Asian cooking.

The famous use is in the French cuisine garlic mayonnaise (aioli), the restorative garlic soup and garlic butter served with snails, roast lamb studded with garlic, and rosemary is a common popular western dish.

In the USA, almost 50% of the fresh garlic is dehydrated and used in mayonnaise products, salad dressings, tomato products, and in meat preparations. Raw garlic is used in the preparation of garlic powder, garlic salt, garlic vinegar, garlic cheese crotons, potato chips, garlic bread, garlicked meat tit-bits, and garlicked bacon.

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Medicinal Uses and Functional PropertiesThe medicinal uses of garlic have a long history.

Garlic has been used for treating coughs, chronic bronchitis, toothache, earache, dandruff, high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, hysteria, and cancers.

Garlic cloves, teas, and syrups have been used as an aphrodisiac, to treat fever, flu symptoms, shortness of breath, sinus congestion, headache, stomachache, hypertension, gout, rheumatism, pinworms, old ulcers, and snakebites.

Garlic has been used for cold. In Chinese medicine it has also been used for diarrhea, dysentery, pulmonary tuberculosis, blood urine, diphtheria, whooping cough, typhoid, hepatitis, trachoma, and vaginal trichomoniasis.

Recent studies have shown that it reduces cholesterol level, lowers blood pressure, has an influence on platelet aggregation, an important factor in cardiovascular disease, reduces risk of stomach cancer, has antidiabetic activity, has antioxidant properties which are helpful in preventing cancer and cardiovascular disease, also has antibiotic properties and used to treat wounds when other antibiotics failed

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Garlic contains unique organosulfur compounds (OSC) which provide the characteristic fl avor and odor, and most of its potent biological activities

Aged garlic extract (AGE) has been analyzed and studied for its high antioxidant content and health-protective potential

Aqueous extract of garlic as intraperitoneal injection in rat model wasfound to effectively prevent Se-induced cataract

Garlic oil (GO) and allyl alcohol (AA) from garlic inhibited Candida utilis ATCC42416 in different ways: GO had fungistatic activity while AA had fungicidal activity. Both had good antimicrobial potencies against the yeast (Chung et al. 2007 ) . Garlic extract was shown to have more potent antistaphylococcal activity than allicin

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Antioxidant PropertiesThe mechanisms of garlic are recognized to its strong antioxidant properties

S-allylmercaptocysteine (SAMC), one of the water-soluble organosulfur garlicderivatives suppressed the growth and metastasis of colorectal cancer cells bothin vivo and in vitro

Diallyl sulfide inhibits the growth and induces apoptosis of human cervical cancer HeLa cells in vitro

Oxidized LDL promotes vascular dysfunction and this contributes to artherosclerosis, in part by its cytotoxic effects on endothelial cells. Aged garlic extract (AGE) and S -allylcysteine (SAC) were reported to scavenge ROS, inhibit oxidation of LDL, and inhibit the injury to endothelial cells by oxidized LDL in an in vitro system of endothelial cells exposed to oxidant copper ions (Ide and Lau 1997 ) . AGE has been found to inhibit lipid peroxide formation in a number of studies

AGE and SAC inhibit the increased TBARS induced by hydrogen peroxide, in a concentration-dependent manner, thus mitigating oxidation events which are implicated in the formation of atherogenic lesions (Efendy et al. 1997 ) .

A garlic preparation was found to signi fi cantly lower lipid level and level of lipid peroxidation products in blood and increase vitamin E concentration in the serum of patients with primary arterial hypertension (Duda et al. 2008 ) .

This study suggests that garlic preparation could be used in the treatment of arterial hypertension because of its hypolipemic and antioxidant properties. Leiet al. ( 2008 ) examined whether diallyl sul fi de (DAS), diallyl disul fi de (DADS), and diallyl trisul fi de (DATS) reduce adhesion molecule expression induced by oxidized-LDL, and if so through what mechanism. Their results suggested suppression of oxidized-LDL-induced E-selectin and VCAM-1 expression, and thus monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells is most likely dependent on the P13K/PKB or PKA/CREB signaling pathway in an adhesion molecule-speci fi c manner.

Botanical Name : Allium cepa L.

CIPOLLACIPOLLA

Onion is one of the oldest vegetables known to mankind dating back to 3,500 years. Onion plant is the most often depicted plant in Egyptian tomb paintings. An inscription on the Great Pyramid of Cheops indicates “100 talents of silver had been spent on onions, garlic, and radishes with which the slave labor were reimbursed, in lieu of money, for their part in building the pyramid in 2500 BC.” It is the plant that the Greeks and Romans had a love–hate relationship with, both praising its healing properties and damning its odor. It is also the plant that Alexander the Great fed to his troops to give them strength and vigor for battle. The ancient Egyptians loved onion and one of the varieties evoked as a deity and worshipped. The Egyptians ate it raw.

Producing RegionsOnion is native to western Asia and the Mediterranean. It has long been cultivated worldwide and with many different varieties. The USA, Egypt, Japan, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, France produce dehydrated onions.

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Active ConstituentsThe activity and pungent smell is due to several sulfur-containing compounds—mainly sulfoxides, but also cepaenes ( a -sulfinyl-disulfides). Sulfoxides (such as trans-S -(1-propenyl)- l -(+)-cysteinesulfoxide, an isomer of alliin) are present in the intact bulb, but they are converted by enzymatic action (by alliinase) into various sulfides that spontaneously form disul fi des. These compounds can easily form disulfide bonds with SH-groups of proteins and thus alter their biological activities. Other constituents present are phenolic acids (caffeic, sinapic), fl avonoids, sterols, saponins, sugars, vitamins, pectins, anthocyanins, and essential oils Singh et al. ( 2004 ).Quercetin is one of the major compounds

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Onion is used in the treatment of appetite loss and prevention of age-related changes in blood vessels (arteriosclerosis). Onions and juice may be used to treat minor digestive disturbances and is used to overcome the immediate effects of insect stings. Juice mixed with sugar or honey is a traditional treatment for colds and cough. The treatment of dysentery, wounds, scars, keloids, asthma, and diabetes are among the many traditional uses.Onion is known to have anticancer, antimicrobial, hypoglycemic, anti-platelet aggregation, anti-asthmatic, antiallergic, lipid- and blood pressure-lowering effects

Cruciferous VegetablesOverview

• Cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts are in the family of cruciferous vegetables.

• The health benefits associated with cruciferous vegetables has been attributed to their high concentration of glucosinolatesglucosinolates.

Cruciferous VegetablesNutritional Value

• Cabbage is one of the oldest vegetables around. It continues to be a dietary staple for many and is an inexpensive source of vitamins A and C, vitamins A and C, and fiberand fiber.

• Broccoli is a good source of: vitamins A and C, potassium, folacin, iron, and fibervitamins A and C, potassium, folacin, iron, and fiber..

• It has as much calcium per ounce as milk!• Brussels sprouts contain significant amounts of the antioxidants vitamins A antioxidants vitamins A

and C and is a good source of fiber and C and is a good source of fiber.. This vegetable is also a good source of vegetable protein. However, this protein is not complete protein, and should be combined with whole grain and other protein foods.

Cruciferous VegetablesHealth Benefits

The consumption of cruciferous vegetables has been associated with a reduced risk of cancer of the lung,

stomach, colon, and rectum.

Spinach• Spinach is one of the most important

antioxidative vegetables and is consumed either fresh or cooked.

• Spinach is composed of various active compounds, such as flavonoids and other flavonoids and other polyphenolic active ingredientspolyphenolic active ingredients.. These compounds are believed to act in combination with one another as:

– Anti-inflammatory agentsAnti-inflammatory agents– Antioxidative agentsAntioxidative agents– Anticancer agentsAnticancer agents

SpinachActive Components

• The active compounds are believed to be highly available to the body.

• A powerful, water-soluble, natural antioxidant mixture (NAO)natural antioxidant mixture (NAO) was identified in spinach leaves, which contains its main active compounds.

• NAO is stable at high temperatures and is nontoxic. It is used in studies of chemoprevention and dietary intervention in humans.