• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2007

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) contains a specific sulfur compound, the S-allyl derivative of L-cysteine sulfoxide, and has long been known for its antimicrobial activity against various microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and protozoa. The principal antimicrobial compound of garlic is S-allyl-L-propenethiosulfinate (allicin) which is generated by an enzyme, alliinase (L-cysteine sulfoxide lyase), from S-allyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide (alliin). This compound exists exclusively in Allium as a major non-protein sulfur-containing amino acid. S-Allyl-L-propenethiosulfinate belongs to the chemical group of thiosulfinates and is a highly potent antimicrobial. The potency of garlic extract is reduced during storage since thiosulfinates are unstable and are degraded to other compounds some of which do not have antimicrobial activity. Diallyl polysulfides and ajoene are sulfur compounds derived from allicin that do possess antimicrobial activity. It was recently found that garlic becomes antimicrobial on heating at cooking temperatures, and that the compound responsible for this is allyl alcohol, which is generated from alliin by thermal degradation.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.37 no.2 s.145
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• pp.97-102
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• 2006

Garlic(Allium sativum Linn) is widely used as a common condiment for a variety of foods and beverages. It has been well known that fresh garlic and garlic supplement of commercial preparations have various therapeutic properties including antimicrobial activity, antiplatelet aggregation, antihypertension, and cholesterol-lowering effects, which contribute to its increasing uses for an alternative medicine. Allicin(diallyl thiosulfinate), the major bioactive components of garlic, is formed by alliinase cleavage of the naturally occurring alliin upon crushing or mincing of garlic, and is the progenitor of a number of other products, such as diallyl disulfide. CYP3A4, heme-containing monooxygenase, is a key enzyme responsible for drug metabolism. Therefor, in the present study, we isolated and examined the compounds with CYP3A4-inhibiting activities from garlic. Among EtOAc extracts of garlic, we found that N-p-coumaroyltyramine and N-feruloyltyramine showed remarkable CYP3A4-inhibiting activities, compared to diallyl disulfide. Structures of the isolated active compounds were established by chemical and spectroscopic means.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.145-152
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• 2006

Efforts have been made to explore the possibility of using garlic as an antimicrobial therapeutic agent since garlic extract and its individual sulfur compounds show antimicrobial activities against all kinds of microorganisms including bacteria, molds, yeasts and protozoa. Staphylococcus aureus has been the most studied bacteria along with many other Gram positive and negative pathogenic bacteria, including species of the genera Clostridium, Mycobacterium, Escherichia, Klebsiella, Bacillus, Salmonella and Shigella. Candida albicans has been the most studied among the eukaryotic microorganisms. A pathogenic protozoa, Giardia intestinalis, was also tested. All the microorganisms tested was inhibited by garlic extract or its sulfur components. Garlic has been known to be growth inhibitory only when fresh garlic is crushed, since allicin-generating reaction is enzyme-catalyzed. Allicin is known to be growth inhibitory through a non-specific reaction with sulfhydryl groups of enzyme proteins that are crucial to the metabolism of microorganisms. Another plausible hypothesis is that allicin inhibits specific enzymes in certain biological processes, e.g. acetyl CoA synthetase in fatty acid synthesis in microorganisms. Allicin transforms into other compounds like ajoene and various sulfides which are also inhibitory to microorganisms, but not as potent as their mother compound. It is reported recently that garlic heated at cooking temperatures is growth inhibitory especially against yeasts, and that the growth inhibitory compound is allyl alcohol thermally generated from alliin in garlic.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.730-735
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• 1996

Antibacterial action of garlic extract against Escherichia coli was investigated. When the survival of E. cloi in tryptic soy broth (TSB) containing 50% garlic extract was compared with those of Lactobacillus plantarum, Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli was the most sensitive to garlic antibacterial action. When E. coli was inoculated into TSB with different concentrations of garlic extract, viable cell number decreased continuously during the test period even at 1% garlic extract. When E. coli was inoculated into pH-adjusted TSB containing 0.5% garlic extract, viable cell number of E. coli decreased continuously at initial pH of 5.2 and 6.2, while it decreased initially but increased to $8.0{\times}10^{7}\;CFU/ml at 48 hr at pH 7.2. With larger initial populations $(10^{6}\;CFU/ml), E. coli grew without apparent inhibition, while with smaller initial populations $(<10^{5}\;CFU/ml), viable cell number decreased initially but later increased. Thiol compounds like cysteine and glutathione, with free SH group (s), helped E. coli to grow or survive better in TSB with inhibitory level (5%) of garlic extract. The possibility of eliminating E. coli by using garlic extract from foods like kimchi of which garlic is one of regular ingredients is suggested.