Rare is the dish of Spanish cuisine that does not begin by making a sauce – almost always, olive oil, tomato, garlic and onion – which will become the basis of the recipe and to which more elements are added later. Well, cooking for a longer time –about 60 minutes– at a softer temperature and incorporating onion into this traditional sauce of the Mediterranean diet stimulates the production of healthy molecules due to its great antioxidant capacity . This is said by a study published in the journal Food Research International carried out by researchers from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences of the University of Barcelona and the Center for Biomedical Research in Network of Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERobn) .
The members of this scientific team verified the advantages of the mixture between the various ingredients of tomato sauce and its effects on the production of isomers – molecules with the same formula but with different properties – of lycopene, the carotenoid most present in tomato and Their derivatives. But for the researchers, the onion is the most significant ingredient in the preparation of the homemade sauce, since it enhances the formation of isomeric molecules of lycopene. In addition, if it is subjected to the adequate cooking time, it will increase the production of cis-type isomers (5-cis-lycopene, 9-cis-lycopene and 13-cis-lycopene), highly bioavailable and beneficial molecules due to their powerful antioxidant action. .
According to Rosa M. Lamuela Raventós, a researcher at the Department of Nutrition, Food Sciences and Gastronomy at the University of Barcelona and a member of the CIBERobn, “this is a novel study, because there is almost no scientific research that addresses the issue of the effects of cooked in health “. The objective “was to evaluate how the home-made tomato sauce and the synergies between the different ingredients used to make this Mediterranean sauce, such as extra virgin olive oil, onion and garlic, interact and increase the presence of certain carotenoids “. To study the synergies between the ingredients, the researchers analyzed the contribution of each to the increase of carotenoids in the stir-fry to find out if it was possible to improve their presence as a function of cooking time and component mixtures.
The analysis revealed the presence of nine types of carotenoids and their isomers , which reach their highest level with onions and after cooking for sixty minutes, according to the study led by Lamuela, who directs the Institute for Research in Nutrition and Food Safety of the University of Barcelona (INSA-UB). This scientific article has as its first author the doctoral student José Fernando Rinaldi de Alvarenga, member of the INSA-UB and doctoral fellow of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) of Brazil. The Mediterranean diet is effective in the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases, as already revealed by the conclusions of the PREDIMED study, a multicenter clinical trial carried out from 2003 to 2011 and in which M.ª Rosa Lamuela also participated.
Homemade tomato sauce , rich in carotenes that are associated with lipid regulation and inflammatory biomarkers, is one of the most classic sauces in the Mediterranean diet. In addition, the polyphenols present in onion and garlic, which are also part of this recipe, have beneficial effects against cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, diabetes and certain types of cancer.
The study has been funded by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, the Generalitat of Catalonia and the Center for Biomedical Research on the Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition Network (CIBERobn), an institution belonging to the Carlos III Health Institute and co-financed by the operational program of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) of the European Union.
