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Re‐evaluation of traditional Mediterranean foods. The local landraces of ‘Cipolla di Giarratana’ ( Allium cepa L.) and long‐storage tomato( Lycopersicon esculentum L.): quality traits and polyphenol content
Author(s) -
Siracusa Laura,
Avola Giovanni,
Patanè Cristina,
Riggi Ezio,
Ruberto Giuseppe
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.6199
Subject(s) - polyphenol , context (archaeology) , biology , horticulture , allium , bulb , lycopersicon , botany , microbiology and biotechnology , food science , toxicology , paleontology , biochemistry , antioxidant
BACKGROUND The heightened consumer awareness for food safety is reflected in the demand for products with well‐defined individual characteristics due to specific production methods, composition and origin. In this context, of pivotal importance is the re‐evaluation of folk/traditional foods by properly characterizing them in terms of peculiarity and nutritional value. The subjects of this study are two typical Mediterranean edible products. The main morphological, biometrical and productive traits and polyphenol contents of three onion genotypes (‘Cipolla di Giarratana’, ‘Iblea’ and ‘Tonda Musona’) and three long‐storage tomato landraces (‘Montallegro’, ‘Filicudi’ and ‘Principe Borghese’) were investigated . RESULTS Sicilian onion landraces were characterized by large bulbs, with ‘Cipolla di Giarratana’ showing the highest bulb weight (605 g), yield (151 t ha −1 ) and total polyphenol content (123.5 mg kg −1 ). Landraces of long‐storage tomato were characterized by low productivity (up to 20 t ha −1 ), but more than 70% of the total production was obtained with the first harvest, allowing harvest costs to be reduced. High contents of polyphenols were found, probably related to the typical small fruit size and thick skin characterizing these landraces . CONCLUSION The present study overviews some of the most important traits that could support traditional landrace characterization and their nutritional value assessment. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry