Abstract
Wild Allium L. species are important sources of mineral elements and structurally diverse primary and specialized metabolites, yet comparative information integrating their elemental composition, lipophilic constituents, polar metabolites, and biological activity remains limited. This study compared the chemical diversity of four wild Allium L. taxa—A. atrosanguineum var. fedschenkoanum, A. trachyscordum, A. turkestanicum, and A. suworowii—collected from different environments. Elemental composition was measured by atomic absorption spectrometry in samples collected at naturally occurring phenological stages. Chloroform-soluble metabolites were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, and polar and semi-polar metabolites of bulbs were profiled by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Membrane-stabilizing activity was evaluated using a hypotonic hemolysis assay. Potassium was the main macroelement, reaching 14,119 mg/kg dry weight in bulbs and 13,176 mg/kg in aerial parts. Magnesium and iron reached 4394 and 2435 mg/kg, respectively. Lead concentrations in bulbs of high-altitude species ranged from 0.75 to 4.47 mg/kg. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry showed differences in n-alkane distributions, with some samples dominated by C22 and others extending to C30, reflecting species, developmental, and environmental variation. LC–MS/MS profiling revealed tentative assignments of diverse organosulfur compounds, amino acid derivatives, flavonoids, and oxygenated fatty-acid derivatives. Among the studied chloroform extracts, A. suworowii showed the highest membrane-stabilizing activity at a 10% concentration (51.20%). The four Allium taxa showed distinct elemental and metabolite profiles, although these differences were not subjected to a common statistical comparison across taxa. These results provide a comparative chemical foundation for future chemotaxonomic studies and for assessing the nutritional and pharmacological potential of wild Allium species.