Liquid chromatographic determination of alliin in garlic and garlic products.

A liquid chromatographic (LC) method is proposed for the determination of alliin in garlic and garlic products. The method involves heating of the sample with water in a bath of boiling water followed by homogenization and centrifugation. Interfering components are eliminated by use of a Sep-Pak C18 cartridge as a clean up step before injection. The LC system with ultraviolet detection at 210 nm consists of a separation on a Zorbax TMS column and isocratic elution with water as a mobile phase. Fluorometric determination by ion-pairing chromatography with tetra-n-butylammonium bromide on a Nucleosil 5C18 column is also described. The overall recoveries of alliin added to garlic products were greater than 90%. Thin-layer chromatography and enzymatic degradation of alliin were performed for the confirmation of alliin detected in garlic products.