A comprehensive survey of garlic functionality

Abstract

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is the edible bulb from a plant of the Allium genus, commonly used for flavouring in cooking and for its beneficial effects for human health. Although garlic cloves are usually eaten raw or cooked, different garlic dietary supplements including dried or powdered formulations, oils and liquid extracts have being recently incorporated into the market to satisfy the demand of consumer for garlic bio-active compounds. Despite the numerous therapeutic effects attributed to garlic, the chemistry behind its health-promoting effects is still poorly understood. Garlic is a major source of sulfurcontaining compounds, particularly S-alk-(en)yl-L-cysteine sulphoxides (Cs), being alliin the major one. Volatiles such as allicin, and lipid-soluble sulphur compounds such as diallyl sulphide, diallyl disulphide, diallyl trisulphide, dithiins, ajoene and others, are originated from ACSOs by different metabolic pathways after tissue damage of garlic by cutting, crushing or bitting. These compounds provide to garlic its characteristic odour and flavour, as well as most of its biological properties. The effect of garlic on cardiovascular diseases, including hypocholesterolemic, anti-hypertensive, antithrombotic, and antihyperglycaemic activities, is one of its most extensively studied benefits. Garlic intake has also been described to reduce the risk for developing several types of cancer, especially those of the gastrointestinal tract (colon and stomach). Other bioactivities previously described in garlic include antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiasthmatic, immunomodulatory and prebiotic effects.