Bioavailability and food production of organosulfur compounds from edible allium species

Allium members are known for their wide use in culinary dishes and the content of their bioactive compounds. In this aspect, edible Allium members, such as garlic (A. sativum), onion (A. cepa), leeks (A. porrum), chives (A. schoenoprasum), and shallots (A. ascalonicum), have been widely studied with respect to their functional properties in vivo. Their beneficial effects on humans are closely associated with bioavailability of organosulfur compounds (OSCs) in allyl and methyl forms. However, the OSCs are thermally unstable, so it is important to identify critical processing types/parameters that have destructive effects on bioavailability of the OSCs, and possibly to avoid them in practice. This chapter provides systematically gathered data on bioavailability of OSCs from edible Allium species and addresses their change with food production in order to understand the nature of various functional properties of this genus.