Nutritional Value, Chemical Characterization and Bulb Morphology of Greek Garlic Landraces.

Spyridon Petropoulos,Isabel Ferreira,Ângela Fernandes,Georgia Ntatsi,Konstantinos Petrotos,Lillian Barros

doi:10.3390/molecules23020319

Abstract

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is an important vegetable crop throughout the world. In Greece there are many areas which have specialized in garlic cultivation through the last decades, considered the main production areas. However, despite the significance of garlic as a food product and the high annual income of this crop, there is a decreasing trend in total cultivated area in Greece, and the local landraces are gradually neglected in favor of new imported genotypes. In the present study, garlic genotypes (local landraces/varieties, imported genotypes, commercial cultivars) from the main production regions of Greece were assessed for their chemical composition and quality (total soluble solids, dry matter content, nutritional value, mineral composition, organic acids, fatty acids content and free sugars content), and bulb morphology. The results of the present study showed significant diversity in quality features and bulb morphology, not only between the genotypes from different growing regions, but also between those of the same region. This result is interesting since it could be implemented for further improvement and valorization of this important vegetable crop through extensive breeding programs within the framework of sustainability and genetic, material conservation.

Highlights

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is the most economically important species of the Allium genus and an important vegetable crop throughout the world [1]
The Greek garlics studied showed a great diversity in their quality features and nutritional value, between the genotypes from different growing regions, and between genotypes of the same region
This fact indicates that apart from genotype, growing conditions and cultivation practices may have an important effect on chemical composition and nutritional value and on the quality of the final garlic products

Summary

Introduction

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is the most economically important species of the Allium genus and an important vegetable crop throughout the world [1]. Despite the importance of this crop for the local communities and the high annual farmers’ income, there is a decreasing trend in total cultivated area during the last decade, whereas the local landraces that used to be the main genotypes cultivated in certain areas tend to be neglected in favor of new, more productive imported genotypes from Brazil, Chile, China, Egypt, and so on. Such a trend belies a great genetic erosion risk with many local landraces being lost during the last decades. Protein contents of 4–6% are very common in various cultivars, considering the high dry matter content of the bulbs, while ash content ranges between 0.6% and 1.0%, and energy content is around

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion