Garlic powder left dry and high in allicin

Garlic is used worldwide as a seasoning, spice and in herbal remedies. It possesses a wide range of biological functions including antimicrobial, antithrombotic, antioxidant and immune system-improving properties. Garlic also has the ability to lower serum lipid and glucose levels, and blood pressure. It is therefore an important nutritional supplement.The bioactivity of garlic has been linked to the thiosulfinates, particularly allicin. The characteristic flavours of fresh garlic are also associated with thiosulfinates and the volatile compounds formed by the action of the enzyme alliinase. Disruption of the garlic tissue, by cutting for example, brings the enzyme into contact with its natural substrates. As the major substrate in garlic is the non-protein amino acid alliin, allicin is the main thiosulfinate comprising 60–80% of total garlic thiosulfinates.Garlic products are popular in Japan and Western countries and more recently have been marketed as healthy foods with beneficial physiological effects. However the harsh processing undergone by many garlic products such as powder is thought to influence their quality. Although high-quality garlic slices can be produced by freeze-drying dehydration, this process is expensive with high capital and operating costs. A microwave-vacuum drying process has been developed as a potential method for producing high quality dried foodstuffs with improved energy efficiency. However, there is little information about the use of this process for garlic.A study by Li et al.¹ evaluated the use of the microwave-vacuum drying method combined with vacuum drying to produce high potency, allicin-containing garlic powder. The garlic powder was microencapsulated to protect alliinase activity throughout the human stomach and improve the rate of alliin transformation into allicin. Optimal drying conditions were 3 minutes at microwave power 376.1 W, then 282.1 W for 3 minutes, 188.0 W for 9 minutes and then 94.0 W for 3 minutes, which gave 90.2% retention of thiosulfinates. Microencapsulation allowed controlled release of allicin in the intestines.------------------------------------------------------------------- ¹ Li, Y; Xu, S-Y; Sun, D-W (2007). Preparation of garlic powder with high allicin content by using combined microwave-vacuum and vacuum drying as well as microencapsulation. Journal of Food Engineering 83 (1) 76–83.