Search Results (23)

This study investigated the potential of dietary garlic skin supplementation to enhance meat quality in black goats, addressing the growing demand for natural feed additives in sustainable livestock production. Twelve 4-month-old Youzhou black goats were randomly assigned to a control group (FR, basal diet) or an experimental group (NR, 16% garlic skin supplementation) for 90 days. Meat quality parameters, amino acid and fatty acid profiles, and metabolomic pathways were systematically analyzed. The NR group demonstrated significantly reduced backfat thickness (p < 0.05), increased eye muscle area (p < 0.05), higher pH at 0 h post-slaughter (p < 0.05), and improved meat color (L* and a* values at 24 h, p < 0.05) compared to FR. Cooking loss was significantly lower in NR (p < 0.05), alongside elevated arginine and n-3 PUFA (α-linolenic acid, EPA, DHA) levels (p < 0.01) and a favorable n-6/n-3 ratio. Metabolomics identified 1970 differentially abundant metabolites, with key enrichments in propionate metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, and amino acid pathways, notably linking acylcarnitines to color stability and water retention. These findings indicated that garlic skin improved meat quality through coordinated regulation of lipid metabolism, antioxidant enhancement, and mitochondrial optimization. The study provided foundational evidence for utilizing garlic byproducts as functional feed additives to improve nutritional and sensory attributes in goat meat, supporting sustainable meat production strategies. Full article

Allium genus (Amaryllidaceae) is widely distributed in the Northern hemisphere. Some species, including garlic and onion, have been used since ancient times as both food ingredients and medicinal plants. Many reviews deal with the chemical constituents, particularly the typical sulfur compounds, as well as with Allium pharmacological properties, such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities. The bibliographic search performed in this review is mainly focused on the potential role of Allium species in inhibiting melanogenesis, which has been mainly assessed through the evaluation of the inhibitory properties on tyrosinase, the key enzyme in melanin biosynthesis. Two well established models for identifying potential skin-whitening agents have been used to assess the anti-melanogenic effects of Allium species, the mushroom tyrosinase and the murine melanoma B16 cell line. Here, a literature search from Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed databases has been performed using the keywords “Allium”, “tyrosinase”, “anti-melanogenic”, and “melanogenesis”, combined by means of Boolean operators. Based on selected inclusion criteria, 32 eligible papers have been selected. The aim of this systematic review is to offer an overview of the species for which the ability to affect melanogenesis has been demonstrated to date, highlighting a new and emerging perspective on the potential therapeutic use of Allium species. The biological properties of isolated pure compounds and the negative outcomes have been also considered. Full article

After undergoing peeling-machine operations, skinned garlic cloves affect subsequent processing, and their manual removal is harmful to health. In this paper, an intelligent garlic-clove-removal test bench was designed, which mainly included a hopper, lifter, vibration conveyor, conveyor belt, visual system, removal robot, control cabinet, frame, etc. A technical method based on machine vision technology to distinguish whether or not garlic cloves had a skin was explored to ensure that the test bench could complete the recognition of the skinned garlic cloves, and to check that the test bench could also complete the removal of skinned garlic cloves. Tests were carried out to check the success rate of machine vision and the removal robot, and to optimize the parameters of the test bench. The results showed that the average success rate of machine vision was 99.15%, and the average success rate of the removal robot was 99.13%. The results also showed that the order of the three factors influence index was the conveying speed, the conveying volume, and the removal period. The regression analysis showed that when the conveying speed was 0.1 m·s⁻¹, the grasping period was 1.725 s, the conveying volume was 104.4 kg·h⁻¹, the qualified rate of the finished product was 97.15%, and the verification test result was 97.02%, which had no significant difference from the analysis result. The research results of this paper are conducive to the development of intelligent detection technology of garlic cloves, and to the development of garlic-planting technology and deep processing technology. Full article

Crop residue after harvesting onion (Allium cepa) and garlic (Allium sativum) has great potential in the development of value-added products due to the presence of a range of bioactive compounds. The potential of compounds identified in crop residue extracts to be used in cosmetics was evaluated in silico, including prediction of their interactions with selected skin target proteins (SIRT1, TGF-β, and elastase). Molecular docking results obtained using AutoDock Vina revealed that stronger binding affinity was observed between TGF-β protein and small molecules such as rutin and procyanidin A2 compared to elastase. On the other side, SIRT1 protein showed the best interaction with quercetin and kaempferol. Potential side effects on the skin of individual molecules in extracts of garlic and onion were predicted using regulated databases for skin sensitization tests (Ambit, SkinSensDB, Danish QSAR Database, and Skin Doctor CP). These in silico predictions have shown that the most active molecules are not irritating or corrosive to the skin. The obtained results indicate significant potential for the use of crop residue extracts in the development of skincare products from sustainable resources while addressing the issues of waste. Full article

Garlic consumption is a well-known cause of unpleasant breath and body odour, with volatile organosulfur compounds, such as diallyl disulfide (DADS) and allyl methyl sulfide (AMS) responsible for the characteristic odour. Certain foods that are rich in polyphenols (PPs) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) are known to deodorise garlic breath. However, no study into garlic body odour has been reported owing to the very low amounts of emitted volatile organosulfur compounds. Herein, we aimed to demonstrate the effects of ingesting natural food additives rich in both PPs and PPO on the emissions of skin-derived DADS and AMS using a passive flux sampler in conjunction with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Three healthy male subjects were subjected to garlic-consumption testing, with all subjects commonly observed to exhibit remarkably higher dermal DADS- and AMS-emission fluxes after consuming 45 g of cooked garlic, which then gradually decreased toward their initial baseline levels. In comparison, remarkably lower emission fluxes of both organosulfur compounds were observed after consuming a natural food additive following garlic consumption in a dose-dependent manner. The optimal amount of ingested natural food additive required to reduce garlic body odour was found to be 1–2 g. Considering the metabolic pathway associated with garlic-derived sulfur compounds and elimination reactions involving PPs and PPO, allyl mercaptan is likely to be a key substance involved in reducing garlic body odour through the ingestion of natural food additives. Full article

Endothelial dysfunction (ED) is associated with progressive changes contributing to clinical complications related to macro- and microvascular diseases. Garlic (Allium sativum L.) and its organosulfur components have been related to beneficial cardiovascular effects and could improve endothelial function. The ENDOTALLIUM Study aimed to evaluate the effect of the regular consumption of encapsulated purple garlic oil on microvascular function, endothelial-related biomarkers, and the components of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in untreated subjects with cardiometabolic alterations. Fifty-two individuals with at least one MetS component were randomized (1:1) in a single-center, single-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study. The participants received encapsulated purple garlic oil (n = 27) or placebo (n = 25) for five weeks. Skin microvascular peak flow during post-occlusive reactive hyperemia significantly increased in the purple garlic oil group compared to the placebo group (between-group difference [95%CI]: 15.4 [1.5 to 29.4] PU; p = 0.031). Likewise, hs-CRP levels decreased in the purple garlic group compared to the control group (−1.3 [−2.5 to −0.0] mg/L; p = 0.049). Furthermore, we observed a significant reduction in the mean number of MetS components in the purple garlic group after five weeks (1.7 ± 0.9 vs. 1.3 ± 1.1, p = 0.021). In summary, regular consumption of encapsulated purple garlic oil significantly improved microvascular function, subclinical inflammatory status, and the overall MetS profile in a population with cardiometabolic alterations. Full article

The chemical composition and nutritional content of garlic are greatly impacted by its production location, leading to distinct flavor profiles and functional properties among garlic varieties from diverse origins. Consequently, these variations determine the preference and acceptance among diverse consumer groups. In this study, purple-skinned garlic samples were collected from five regions in China: Yunnan, Shandong, Henan, Anhui, and Jiangsu Provinces. Mid-infrared spectroscopy and ultraviolet spectroscopy were utilized to analyze the components of garlic cells. Three preprocessing methods, including Multiple Scattering Correction (MSC), Savitzky–Golay Smoothing (SG Smoothing), and Standard Normalized Variate (SNV), were applied to reduce the background noise of spectroscopy data. Following variable feature extraction by Genetic Algorithm (GA), a variety of machine learning algorithms, including XGboost, Support Vector Classification (SVC), Random Forest (RF), and Artificial Neural Network (ANN), were used according to the fusion of spectral data to obtain the best processing results. The results showed that the best-performing model for ultraviolet spectroscopy data was SNV-GA-ANN, with an accuracy of 99.73%. The best-performing model for mid-infrared spectroscopy data was SNV-GA-RF, with an accuracy of 97.34%. After the fusion of ultraviolet and mid-infrared spectroscopy data, the SNV-GA-SVC, SNV-GA-RF, SNV-GA-ANN, and SNV-GA-XGboost models achieved 100% accuracy in both training and test sets. Although there were some differences in the accuracy of the four models under different preprocessing methods, the fusion of ultraviolet and mid-infrared spectroscopy data yielded the best outcomes, with an accuracy of 100%. Overall, the combination of ultraviolet and mid-infrared spectroscopy data fusion and chemometrics established in this study provides a theoretical foundation for identifying the origin of garlic, as well as that of other agricultural products. Full article

The purpose of this study was to study the chemical composition, rumen degradation characteristics, surface attached microbial community and cellulase activity of garlic skin (GS) and Artemisia argyi stalk (AS), in order to explain their feeding value. Four 14-month-old healthy Min Dong male goats with permanent rumen fistula were selected as experimental animals. The rumen degradation characteristics of GS and AS were determined by using the nylon bag method, and the bacterial composition, cellulase activity and their relationship on the surface of the two groups were analyzed with high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene. The results showed that in GS and AS, the effective degradation rate (ED) values of dry matter (DM) were 42.53% and 37.12%, the ED values of crude protein (CP) were 37.19% and 43.38%, the ED values of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) were 36.83% and 36.23%, and the ED values of acid detergent fiber (ADF) were 33.81% and 34.77%. During rumen degradation, the richness and evenness of bacteria attached to the AS surface were higher. At the phylum level, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were always the main rumen bacteria in the two groups. At the genus level, fiber-degrading bacteria such as Prevotella, Treponema, and Ruminococcus showed higher levels in GS (p < 0.05). Compared with GS, the activity of β-glucosidase (BG enzyme), endo-β-1,4-glucanase (C1 enzyme), exo-β-1,4-glucanase (Cx enzyme) and neutral xylanase (NEX enzyme) attached to AS surface showed a higher trend. Correlation analysis showed that the relative abundance of Succinivibrio and Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group was positively correlated with the rumen degradability of nutrients in GS, and the relative abundance of Christensenellaceae R-7_group, Succinivibrio and Ruminococcus was positively correlated with the rumen degradability of nutrients in AS. The conclusion of this study shows that AS has more potential to become ruminant roughage than GS. In addition, this study also revealed the relationship between cellulase activity and bacteria, which provided new information for us to better analyze the effects of GS and AS on the rumen of ruminants and provided an important theoretical basis for the development and utilization of agricultural by-products. Full article

Dyes are toxic organic compounds released as effluent from various industries that need proper treatment as they pose serious hazards to the environment and living beings, including humans. Nanocomposites can be employed as photocatalysts for the elimination of such organic compounds from wastewater. One such attempt is made in this present research study, where a zinc-based nanocomposite has been fabricated for the elimination of the methylene blue dye (MB). For the development of nanocomposite, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) were prepared to utilize Allium sativa peel (garlic skin) extract, which was further processed to develop ZnO/kaolin clay NC. ZnONPs and ZnO/kaolin clay NC formation have been confirmed by UV–Vis spectral bands at 379 nm and 423 nm. The NC was rod-shaped, with width of 60–100 nm and length of 200–800 nm and an average size of 50.0 ± 0.58 nm. Both materials were compared for their efficacy in photocatalytic degradation of the MB under solar light irradiation. ZnONPs removed 65% of MB, whereas the degradation efficiency of ZnO/clay NC was calculated to be 96% for 10 ppm MB. A kinetics study for photocatalytic degradation of MB using both nanomaterials showed that the photocatalytic degradation followed the pseudo-first-order (PFO) type of reaction. This investigation represents an expeditious, lucrative, ecological, and appropriate technique for the fabrication of functional nanomaterials for the remediation of diverse organic pollutants. Full article

Garlic is one of the most economically important crops cultivated and consumed worldwide. The rising demand for garlic in the functional food market is driven by the growing interest in using processed products and supplements for benefits in health and wellbeing. Prior to processing, freshly harvested Thai garlic undergoes six distinct curing procedures; however, the losses and initial quality evaluation of the cured garlics have never been assessed. The research aims to evaluate losses and types of biomass during post-harvest processing using lab scale waste composition and mass–flow analyses, which align with the bio-circular green economic approach. Qualitative process flow diagrams (PFD) of each curing procedure were outlined, and the volume of post-harvest loss and types of biomasses were recorded. The study found that the overall losses during garlic curing were significantly higher than those associated with curing the bulb with root attached and the bulb alone. Moisture loss (>60%) was the greatest type of loss, followed by through biomass during initial and minimal processing. The aerial part accounted for >40% of total biomass loss, while root and skin were variable, depending on whether the initial process was conducted before or after curing. In terms of quality, the study found that the total phenolic and flavonoid content of garlic decreased after curing, and the level of total reducing sugar significantly decreased from the day of harvest. This result can be used as the criterion for handling Thai garlic after harvest. In addition, the biomass produced by postharvest processing can be utilised as a raw material for biorefinery extraction. Full article

We report the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by using daisy petals (Bellis perennis), leek (Allium porrum) and garlic skin (Allium sativum) as reducing agents and water as solvent. AgNPs are obtained with high monodispersity, spherical shapes and size ranging from 5 to 35 nm and characterized by UV-Vis and TEM techniques. The obtained yields in AgNPs are in concordance with the total phenolic content of each plant. We also study the incorporation of AgNPs in combination with the red algae Pyropia columbina extracts (PCE) into cosmetic formulations and analyze their combined effect as photoprotective agents. Moreover, we carry out the inclusion of the PCE containing mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs), which are strong UV-absorbing and antioxidant compounds, into β-cyclodextrin (βCD) and pNIPAM nanoparticles and analyze stability and release. The thermoresponsive polymer is grown by free radical polymerization using N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) as the monomer, N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (BIS) as the cross-linker, and 2,2′-azobis(2-methylpropionamidene) (V50) as the initiator, while βCD complex is prepared by heating in water. We evaluate the nanoparticle and βCD complex formation by UV-Vis and FT-IR, and NMR spectroscopies, respectively, and the nanoparticles’ morphology, including particle size, by TEM. The cosmetic formulations are subsequently subjected to accelerated stability tests and photoprotective analyses: a synergistic effect in the combination of AgNPs and PCE in photoprotection was found. It is not related to a UV screen effect but to the antioxidant activity, having potential against photoaging. Full article

The investigations of genetic resources in Lithuania started in 1924. Collections including more than 110 samples of different vegetable species have been accumulated and continue to expand. The breeding program is focused on productivity, quality traits and biochemical composition, and tolerance of unfavorable environmental factors in changing climates. Currently, over 95 cultivars and hybrids of vegetables have been released, about 40 of which are included in the EU Common catalogue of varieties of vegetable species. From 2012 to 2021, twelve cultivars were developed at the Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, seven of which are fruit vegetables, four are root crops, and two are in the onion group. The breeding direction was to increase the sustainable production of vegetables and improve the quality of the products by using national and adapted genetic resources as valuable parental forms. For 10 years, vegetable plant hybrids and cultivars were developed to meet commercial cultivars’ market requirements. The tomato cultivars ‘Ainiai’ H, ‘Adas’ H, ‘Auksiai’ H, ‘Alvita’ and cucumber cultivar ‘Roliai’ are distinguished by a good biochemical composition and taste, while the sweet pepper cultivar ‘Gabija’ has high productivity and fruit quality. The carrot hybrids ‘Ieva’, ‘Rokita’, ‘Jola’, garlic cultivar ‘Dangiai’, and onion cultivar ‘Joriai’ are distinguished by their productivity and good storage ability. The Jerusalem artichoke cultivar ‘Sauliai’ has tubers with white skin and the colour of the flowers is yellow. Full article

Red chili is a climacteric fruit that still undergoes respiration after harvest. During storage, it is susceptible to mechanical, physical, and physiological damage and decay incidence, therefore a method is needed to protect it so that the quality losses can be minimized. One way this can be achieved is by applying edible coatings that can be made from hydrocolloids, lipids, or composites of both, in addition to antimicrobial agents that can also be added to inhibit microbial growth. In this study, we detail the application of an edible coating made of gelatin composite from tilapia fish skin, which has a transparent color and good barrier properties against O₂, CO₂, and lipids. To increase its physicochemical and functional qualities, it must be modified by adding composite elements such as pectin as well as hydrophobic ingredients such as garlic essential oil. This study was conducted to determine the effect of a gelatin–pectin composite edible coating (75:25, 50:50, 25:75), which was incorporated with garlic essential oil (2% and 3%) on the physicochemical properties of red chili at room temperature (±29 °C), RH ± 69%) for 14 days. The best treatment was the 50–50% pectin–gelatin composite, which was incorporated with garlic essential oil with a concentration of 2 and 3%. This treatment provided a protective effect against changes in several physicochemical properties: inhibiting weight loss of 36.36 and 37.03%, softening of texture by 0.547 and 0.539 kg/84 mm², maintaining acidity of 0.0087 and 0.0081%, maintaining vitamin C content of 2.237 and 2.349 mg/gr, anti-oxidant activity (IC₅₀) 546.587 and 524.907; it also provided a protective effect on chili colors changing to red, and retains better total dissolved solid values. Full article

Approximately 1.35 million human salmonellosis cases are reported in the United States every year, resulting in over 26,000 hospitalizations and 400 deaths. Consumption of contaminated poultry products is one of the leading causes of human salmonellosis. Poultry meat becomes contaminated when feces from an infected bird comes into contact with the carcass during processing. Additional carcasses can then become cross-contaminated along the processing line. While chemicals such as peracetic acid are currently used to kill microbes such as Salmonella, consumers are increasingly calling for more natural alternatives. Our objective for this study was to determine the ability of the phytochemicals garlic and ginger oil to reduce Salmonella prevalence in the processing environment. In a simulated scalding tank environment, dipping contaminated chicken skin samples in a solution containing both garlic and ginger oil reduced Salmonella by up to 2 log CFU. Furthermore, the oils prevented Salmonella growth in the tank solution. The mechanism of action of garlic and ginger was evaluated using the sub-inhibitory concentration of each oil individually. While both were found to decrease autoinducer-2 (AI-2) levels, no effect was seen on expression of 10 genes involved in Salmonella virulence and survival. In total, this work demonstrates the potential of garlic and ginger to reduce Salmonella prevalence in the post-harvest environment. However, more work remains to be done to understand the mechanism of action. Full article

Hydrogels can provide instant relief to pain and facilitate the fast recovery of wounds. Currently, the incorporation of medicinal herbs/plants in polymer matrix is being investigated due to their anti-bacterial and wound healing properties. Herein, we investigated the novel combination of chitosan (CS) and chondroitin sulfate (CHI) to synthesize hydrogels through freeze gelation process and enriched it with garlic (Gar) by soaking the hydrogels in garlic juice for faster wound healing and resistance to microbial growth at the wound surface. The synthesized hydrogels were characterized via Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), which confirmed the presence of relevant functional groups. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images exhibited the porous structure of the hydrogels, which is useful for the sustained release of Gar from the hydrogels. The synthesized hydrogels showed significant inhibition zones against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Furthermore, cell culture studies confirmed the cyto-compatibility of the synthesized hydrogels. Thus, the novel hydrogels presented in this study can offer an antibacterial effect during wound healing and promote tissue regeneration. Full article