Application of supercritical fluid extraction to the development of new potential biocides on the basis of garlic (Allium sativum L.)

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) extracts were obtained using CO(2)-supercritical extraction. The extracts were separated into individual components by the preparative HPLC and GC methods. Some of the isolated substances (allicin, ajoene, diallyl disulfide, and diallyl trisulfide), along with their two synthetic analogues with disulfide structure, were tested as potential biocides using a number of test objects (Candida utilis, Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas aurantiaca, and Escherichia coli). Some of the tested substances exhibited a high efficiency as biocides, in particular, against gram-negative cultures. The results obtained are indicative of good prospects of using sulfur-containing garlic components and their synthetic analogues as potential antimicrobial agents.