Abstract
The physicochemical properties of the plant and the fatty acid profile of the plant oil of Allium fistulosum have been determined using standard methods of the AOAC. The proximate composition gave moisture content of 89.55%, ash content 0.82%, crude oil 0.64%, crude protein 1.82%, crude fibre 1.65% and carbohydrate 5.54%. The most abundant fatty acids in decreasing order of abundance were linoleic (52.87%) > oleic (17.57%) > palmitic (9.80%) > stearic (8.81%) > linolenic (2.88%) > palmitoleic (2.84%) > myristic (1.28%) > behenic (1.23%). Others with concentrations less than 1.00% are lauric, arachidonic, behenic and lignoceric acids. Linoleic and oleic acids were the most abundant of the total fatty acids and also of the total unsaturated fatty acids with the two totaling 70.44% of all fatty acids. Palmitic and stearic acids were the two most abundant saturated fatty acids, totaling 18.61% of all fatty acids. The total unsaturated fatty acids (77.35%) predominated the total saturated (22.63%), while the percentage poly-unsaturated (56.34%) was far greater than mono-unsaturated (21.04%). The high level of essential fatty acids in the plant oil is an advantage in food consumption and the good total unsaturated/saturated (PS) ratio makes the fruit oil nutritionally very useful to be adopted for domestic purposes.
Highlights
The onion (Allium) family contains several species, distributed all over various countries of the world
The leafy type, Allium fistulosum, commonly called spring onion, Welsh onion, or Japanese bunching onion, is a clumping, slowly-spreading, evergreen perennial type that is primarily grown as a vegetable for its tasty onion-flavored leaves
Welsh onion is grown for its green leaves, which are used in salad, or added to flavour soup and other dishes
Summary
The onion (Allium) family contains several species, distributed all over various countries of the world. The leafy type, Allium fistulosum, commonly called spring onion, Welsh onion, or Japanese bunching onion, is a clumping, slowly-spreading, evergreen perennial type that is primarily grown as a vegetable for its tasty onion-flavored leaves. It is called "àlùbósà eléwé" (i.e. leafy onion) in Yoruba language of southwestern Nigeria. The species is very similar in taste and odour to the related common onion, Allium cepa, but does not develop bulbs It rather possesses hollow leaves (fistulosum means "hollow") and scapes. The crop is grown throughout the world, in a wide range of climatic conditions from temperate to tropical, but the main area of cultivation remains eastern Asia, especially in China and Japan Elsewhere, it is mainly a crop of home gardens. This report, focuses on the chemical composition and fatty acid profile of A. fistulosum plant as available in Nigeria, to be able to reveal its usefulness and importance in the diet of man
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