EDIBLE ONION FLOWERS (ALLIUM L.) AS A SOURCE OF BIOLOGICALLY ACTIVE SUBSTANCES

Abstract

The results of comparative study of the content of biologically active substances in the flowers of 10 species of perennial onions Allium aflatunense B. Fedtsch., A. altaicum Pall., A. flavum L., A. microdictyon Prokh., A. nutans L., A. obliquum L., A. ramosum L., A. rosenbachianum Regel, A. schoenoprasum L., A. senescens L. var. glaucum Regel (A. senescens ssp. glaucum (Schrad.) N. Friesen) are presented. The freshly collected raw materials in the phase of mass flowering were analyzed. The dry matter content was determined by drying 1 g of raw material at 100–105 °C to a constant mass. The amount of phenolic compounds, pectin substances, total sugars, and carotenoids was determined spectrophotometrically using SF-56 (Russia) and SF "Agilent" 8453 (USA). For the first time, data on the quantitative content of the main groups of secondary metabolites in onion flowers were obtained. It has been established that in the forest-steppe of Western Siberia, flowers of Allium species contain: 10.7-22.5% dry substances, 6.6-26.2% total sugars, 3.3–18.6% pectin substances, 3.6–10.6% phenolic compounds, 3.0–23.4  mg% carotenoids (per mass of absolutely dry materials) and 35.4–157.8 mg% ascorbic acid (per mass of raw materials). The highest values were found for A. rosenbachianum, A. flavum, and A. aflatunense. The high variability of the accumulation of biologically active substances is due to the species and the influence of weather conditions during the growing season. The study showed the prospects for using onion flowers as a source of various bioactive compounds, including when added to food.