Griffiths Gareth, Trueman Laurence, Crowther Timothy, Thomas Brian, Smith Brian
Department of Plant Genetics and Biotechnology, Horticulture Research International, Wellesbourne CV35 9EF, UK.
Phytother Res. 2002 Nov;16(7):603-15. doi: 10.1002/ptr.1222.
Onion (Allium cepa L.) is botanically included in the Liliaceae and species are found across a wide range of latitudes and altitudes in Europe, Asia, N. America and Africa. World onion production has increased by at least 25% over the past 10 years with current production being around 44 million tonnes making it the second most important horticultural crop after tomatoes. Because of their storage characteristics and durability for shipping, onions have always been traded more widely than most vegetables. Onions are versatile and are often used as an ingredient in many dishes and are accepted by almost all traditions and cultures. Onion consumption is increasing significantly, particularly in the USA and this is partly because of heavy promotion that links flavour and health. Onions are rich in two chemical groups that have perceived benefits to human health. These are the flavonoids and the alk(en)yl cysteine sulphoxides (ACSOs). Two flavonoid subgroups are found in onion, the anthocyanins, which impart a red/purple colour to some varieties and flavanols such as quercetin and its derivatives responsible for the yellow and brown skins of many other varieties. The ACSOs are the flavour precursors, which, when cleaved by the enzyme alliinase, generate the characteristic odour and taste of onion. The downstream products are a complex mixture of compounds which include thiosulphinates, thiosulphonates, mono-, di- and tri-sulphides. Compounds from onion have been reported to have a range of health benefits which include anticarcinogenic properties, antiplatelet activity, antithrombotic activity, antiasthmatic and antibiotic effects. Here we review the agronomy of the onion crop, the biochemistry of the health compounds and report on recent clinical data obtained using extracts from this species. Where appropriate we have compared the data with that obtained from garlic (Allium sativum L.) for which more information is widely available.
洋葱（Allium cepa L.）在植物学上属于百合科，在欧洲、亚洲、北美洲和非洲的广泛纬度和海拔范围内均有发现。在过去10年中，全球洋葱产量至少增长了25%，目前产量约为4400万吨，使其成为仅次于番茄的第二重要园艺作物。由于其储存特性和耐运输性，洋葱的贸易范围一直比大多数蔬菜更广。洋葱用途广泛，常被用作许多菜肴的配料，几乎被所有传统和文化所接受。洋葱的消费量正在显著增加，尤其是在美国，部分原因是大力宣传将其风味与健康联系起来。洋葱富含两类对人体健康有益的化学物质。它们是类黄酮和烷（烯）基半胱氨酸亚砜（ACSOs）。在洋葱中发现了两类类黄酮亚组，花青素赋予某些品种红色/紫色，而黄烷醇如槲皮素及其衍生物则赋予许多其他品种黄色和棕色外皮。ACSOs是风味前体，当被蒜氨酸酶裂解时，会产生洋葱特有的气味和味道。下游产物是包括硫代亚磺酸盐、硫代磺酸盐、单硫化物、二硫化物和三硫化物在内的复杂化合物混合物。据报道，洋葱中的化合物具有一系列健康益处，包括抗癌特性、抗血小板活性、抗血栓活性、抗哮喘和抗生素作用。在这里，我们综述了洋葱作物的农艺学、健康化合物的生物化学，并报告了使用该物种提取物获得的最新临床数据。在适当的地方，我们将这些数据与大蒜（Allium sativum L.）的数据进行了比较，大蒜有更广泛的可用信息。
