Research Article Received: 25 January 2013 Revised: 10 April 2013 Accepted article published: 30 April 2013 Published online in Wiley Online Library: (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI 10.1002/jsfa.6199 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 Laura Siracusa, a* Giovanni Avola, b Cristina Patan ` e, b Ezio Riggi b and Giuseppe Ruberto a Abstract 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. c  2013 Society of Chemical Industry Keywords: traditional crops; onion; long-storage tomato; quality traits; phenolic content INTRODUCTION The role of the Italian agricultural sector and its potential in terms of contributing to the promotion of the ‘Made in Italy’ designation are nowadays widely recognized. The millenaries of agricultural activity and the widely differentiated environments due to the orography, pedology and meteorology of the Mediterranean climate characterizing the Italian peninsula have resulted in a huge range of foods that generate the worldwide perception of ‘Made in Italy’ food as the basis for a kaleidoscopic culinary art. The interest in preserving this wide variety of foods is leading to the intense recovery and valorization of typical food products, including the application of tools for certification based on international standards, particularly European ones (Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), etc.). 1 The need to protect both traditional foods and traditional production systems (i.e. crop management, animal husbandry, food processing) at present is further justified by the increasing genetic erosion of traditional varieties 2 and the need to maintain economic activities in the traditional areas where these foods are produced. In a globalized context the protection of both traditional foods and production systems is pivoted on the certification tools that require distinctive features for both food products and food processing. For this reason, efforts to characterize typical crops represent a challenging focus that needs to be carried out by means of a multidisciplinary approach including agronomical, biological and chemical expertise. Among the numerous crops traditionally cultivated in the typical Mediterranean environment of Sicily, niche products such as onion (Allium cepa L.) and long-storage tomato (Solanum ∗ Corresponding Author: Laura Siracusa, Istituto del CNR di Chimica Biomolecolare, Via Paolo Gaifami 18, I-95126 Catania, Italy. E-mail: laura.siracusa@icb.cnr.it a Istituto del CNR di Chimica Biomolecolare, Via Paolo Gaifami 18, I-95126 Catania, Italy b Istituto del CNR per i Sistemi Agricoli e Forestali del Mediterraneo, Str. le V. Lancia, Blocco Palma I, Zona Industriale, I-95121 Catania, Italy J Sci Food Agric (2013) www.soci.org c  2013 Society of Chemical Industry