Evaluation of the Egyptian walking onion for promoting ready-to-eat products

The increasing demand for ready-to-eat products is propelled by their well-established health benefits and convenience. Allium cepa L., a versatile ingredient used in various cuisines and recognized since ancient civilizations as a medicinal plant, is rich in bioactive compounds including polyphenols, minerals, vitamins, and terpenes. Historically cultivated in home gardens and urban vegetable farms, there is now a growing interest in fresh-cut onion products catering to both household and industrial sectors. The objective of this study is to compare a Sicilian landrace of onion, the Egyptian walking onion (Allium × proliferum, (Moench) Schrader, CV) and the landrace ‘Cipudduzza’ (Allium cepa var. aggregatum, CA), provided by the active genebank of the Department of Agriculture, Food, and Environment (Di3A), with two commercial cultivars of onion, ‘Rossa Carmen’ and ‘Stoccarda’ (Allium cepa var. cepa, CC and CS, respectively) provided by Hortusì. The trial was carried out in Catania (Sicily, Italy) in an organic field. The plantlets were transplanted into pots (10 L volume) filled with organic substrate and volcanic coarse (2:1 in volume). The plants were harvested and characterized for their main morphometric parameters such as the fresh and dry weight, the maximum and minimum plant diameter, the plant height, and the leaf number. The volatile compounds were determined by GC-MS. Significant variations were observed regarding the fresh weight and the leaf number. CS and CC exhibited the highest fresh weight values (47.76 and 52.86 g, respectively). CS showed the highest maximum diameter (29.29 mm) compared to the other genotypes. The main volatile compounds detected in CV (Egyptian walking onion) include aldehydes such as 2-methyl-2-pentenal, sulfides like dipropyl disulfide and diallyl disulfide, thiophenes, and thiazoles. The data suggest that these cultivars, thriving under the favourable environmental conditions of Sicily and benefiting from targeted supply chain activities, could be further optimized for both culinary applications, including ready-to-eat products, and health-promoting purposes. This assertion is supported by extensive scientific evidence highlighting the well-documented health benefits of onions, presenting an interesting opportunity for innovative cultivation approaches and promising outcomes.