Nunhems/Gills Onions
Nunhems, a subsidiary of Bayer Crop Science, is the global specialist in vegetable seeds and the development of innovative products, concepts, and expertise that add value to the professional horticulture industry and supply chain. With more than 160 years of experience in more than 20 countries, Nunhems has earned the trust and respect of dealers and growers, one being Gills Onions. For more than twenty years, Gills Onions has been growing and processing fresh onion products and distributing them across the country. Their convenient and efficient solutions for foodservice organizations' onion needs are leading the way for salads, salsa, sandwich bars, and home meal replacement dishes.
Onions, with their abundant flavor and nutrient rich benefits, offer only 30 calories per serving. They are rich in chromium, vitamin C, fiber, vitamin B6, and numerous antioxidants such as flavonoids. One of the flavonoids most noted in research is quercetin. The absorption of quercetin from onions is twice that from tea and more than three times that from apples. Quercetin has beneficial effects that may protect against many diseases and disorders including cataracts, cardiovascular disease, and cancer of the breast, colon, ovaries, lung, and bladder. Quercetin acts as a powerful antioxidant to protect the antioxidant vitamin E and inhibit the oxidation processes that lead to cardiovascular disease and inflammation. Recent studies suggest additional benefits of quercetin include improving blood sugar control, promoting gastrointestinal health, and potentially boosting bone health.
The antioxidant activity found in onions are both direct and indirect. This means that direct antioxidants protect the body by neutralizing the damage from oxidation while the indirect antioxidants trigger the body's own natural detoxification systems. The same sulfur containing compounds that give onions their personality are those that activate the phase II enzymes in the liver, prompting a cascade of protective activity that lasts for hours after they are consumed. Research from the Nurses Health Study reveals that women whose diets provided the most flavonoid (kaempferol) rich foods such as onions, had a 40 percent reduction in risk of ovarian cancer, compared to women eating the least flavonoid (kaempferol) rich foods. A 2006 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that onions can greatly reduce the risk of several common cancers beyond just ovarian cancer. In this study, participants consuming the most onions showed risk reduction for 84 percent in cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx, 88 percent in esophageal cancer, 56 percent in colorectal cancer, 73 percent in ovarian cancer, as well as several other important sites.
The onion has been an indispensable vegetable in the cuisines of many European countries since the Middle Ages. Onions, native to Asia and the Middle East, have been cultivated for more than five thousand years. As early as the 6th century, onions were used as a medicine in Indian culture. In ancient Greek and Roman cuisine onions were a common ingredient. Today's global cuisines continue to feature onions as widespread ingredients in salads, soups, sauces, meats, vegetables, and baked goods.
References
Yang J, Meyers KJ, van der Heide J, Liu RH. Varietal Differences in Phenolic Content and Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Activities of Onions. J Agric Food Chem. 2004 Nov 3;52(22):6787-6793. PMID:15506817.
Wetli HA, Brenneisen R, Tschudi I, Langos M, Bigler P, Sprang T, Schurch S, Muhlbauer RC. A gamma-Glutamyl Peptide Isolated from Onion (Allium cepa L.) by Bioassay-Guided Fractionation Inhibits Resorption Activity of Osteoclasts. J Agric Food Chem. 2005 May 4;53(9):3408-3414. PMID:15853380.
Gates MA, Tworoger SS, Hecht JL, De Vivo I, Rosner B, Hankinson SE. A prospective study of dietary flavonoid intake and incidence of epithelial ovarian cancer. Int J Cancer. 2007 Apr 30; [Epub ahead of print]. PMID:17471564.
Galeone C, Pelucchi C, Levi F, Negri E, Franceschi S, Talamini R, Giacosa A, La Vecchia C. Onion and garlic use and human cancer. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Nov;84(5):1027-32. PMID:17093154.