Abstract
Onions are essential vegetables for Koreans’ diet and have various physiological
activities. However, problems arise every year due to the imbalance between
production and demand. Therefore, in this study, nutritional and functional
components, and antioxidant activity were analyzed for each growth period in
order to utilize onions at the disposal period. Whole onions harvested before
June showed higher values of general ingredients, inorganic ingredients, organic
acids, spiraeoside, quercetin, total chlorophyll, and antioxidant activity than
bulbs harvested in June. On the other hand, the free sugar content was higher in
the bulb of the harvest season in June than in whole onions. The total
thiosulfinate content was similar to that of whole onions and bulbs in the early
stages of growth. In addition, as a result of comparing the flavonoid compound
and antioxidant activity of each onion variety, whole onions harvested at 25
weeks were higher in content than onion bulbs harvested in June. In conclusion,
onions before the harvest season in June had excellent utilization value as
food. Harvesting before 21 weeks is desirable for growing onions with excellent
nutritional value, while harvesting after 23 weeks is recommended for excellent
functional components and antioxidant activity in onions.
Funder
Rural Development Administration
Publisher
The Korean Society of Food Preservation
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