Antibacterial efficacy of garlic oil nano-emulsion

Garlic oils have promising possibilities for a wide range of applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Their widespread utilization is limited as they are lipophilic and highly volatile. Furthermore, they also possess strong odor and low physicochemical stability. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the characteristics of garlic oil nano-emulsion through investigating its antibacterial activity. The emulsion was prepared and the size distribution and zeta potential of the nanoparticles were investigated using a Nicomp Z3000 particle size analyzer. S. aureus and E. coli specimens were impregnated with garlic oil and garlic oil nano-emulsions. The results indicated that the mean particle diameter was 36.3 nm, polydispersity index was 0.527, and average zeta potential was -26.23 mV. Garlic oil nano-emulsion was more effective against S. aureus than E. coli. Moreover, the antibacterial activity of garlic oil nano-emulsion was lower than regular garlic oil. The study concluded that modifications are to be made with respect to particle size, concentration, and zeta potential.