Abstract

Fruits and vegetables are the staple sources of antioxidants. The antioxidant properties may wear off with time. The present study was aimed to investigate and compare the antioxidant capacity of aged garlic (three-month old) with that of the fresh (newly harvested) garlic. In the present interventional study, an ethanol extract was obtained from fresh and aged cloves of garlic and their antioxidant capacity were measured in linoleic and -carotene linoleate models. Phenol compounds were assayed using Folin-Ciocalteu colorimetry equivalent to Gallic acid and the flavonoid and flavonol compounds were assayed utilizing chloride aluminum colorimetry method equivalent to rutin. The allicin level was measured through spectrophotometry. Fresh garlic was more efficacious (35.63) than the three-month old garlic (10.2) in inhibiting oxidation. In the linoleic acid and -carotene linoleate models, no significant difference was found between the fresh garlic and old garlic extracts in terms of optical density (p>0.05). The phenol compounds in the fresh garlic (12.61mg/g) were higher than those of the three-month old garlic (2.89 mg/g). Allicin level in the fresh garlic extract (15 µg/ml) was shown to be higher than three-month old garlic extract (8 µg/ml). The results of the present study suggest that garlic should be preferably consumed fresh as it maintains its beneficial compounds.

Key words: Antioxidant, garlic, flavonoid, phenolic compoundst.