Antimicrobial activity of elephant garlic oil against Vibrio cholerae in vitro and in a food model.

Vibrio cholera is a major foodborne pathogen in Thailand. It is present in raw and lightly cooked foods, and it causes cholera. Natural products inhibiting it can be used to improve the safety of foods. In this study, elephant garlic oil was studied for its major diallyl sulfide content and its antimicrobial activity against V. cholerae. The oil had a very low concentration of diallyl monosulfides (1.62%) in comparison with the other diallyl sulfides (25.09% for diallyl disulfide, 16.04% for diallyl trisulfide, and 10.58% for diallyl tetrasulfide). In an in vitro study, the oil was found to have a bacteriocidal effect on all tested strains of V. cholerae, with varied minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 3.13 to 25 microg/ml. It was also found that elephant garlic oil retarded the growth of the bacteria or reduced the bacterial cell load in the food model, depending on its concentration.