Examination of the effect of Allicin on the growth of Staphylococcus aureus in culture

Abstract

In order to explore the effectiveness of the garlic-derived chemical Allicin, we conducted inhibition assays on bacteriological plates using a commercially derived source of the chemical and also a freshly prepared solution. We incubated Staphylococcus aureus in the presence of these two sources of Allicin, commercially-acquired and freshly-prepared, and measured the size of their zones of inhibition. Our observations revealed that the zone of inhibition was much larger for the freshly-prepared solution of Allicin, compared to the commercially- acquired solution. These results suggest that a freshly prepared source of Allicin is much more effective at inhibiting the growth of Staphylococcus aureus than what can be obtained commercially.