Effect of alcoholic extract of garlic (Allium sativum) on some food born pathogenic bacteria

According to consumer's desire to consume foods without preservatives or containing a natural preservative, the use of plant extracts as a food preservative instead of chemicals has increased. This study was conducted to determine the antibacterial effect of different concentration of alcoholic extract of garlic (Allium sativum) on standard strains of Salmonella enteritidis, Bacillus subtilis, Listeria monocytogenes and Yersinia entrocolitica. For this purpose, the agar well diffusion method was used. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) were measured with microtiter plate method using the rezazurin reagent. The results showed that garlic alcoholic extract had an inhibitory effect on any four tested bacteria. The highest inhibitory effect was observed on B. subtilis;meanwhile,the slightest effect was found on S. enteritidis. The minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.39 mg/ml was observed for B. subtilis, however the highest amount was estimated at 12.5 mg/ml for S. enteritidis. According to the results of recent research it was concluded that alcoholic extract of garlic had appropriate antibacterial impact against bacteria and therefore could be used as a natural preservative in various foods.