Garlic oil

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Garlic oil is the volatile oil derived from garlic. [1] It is usually prepared using steam distillation, and can also be produced via distillation using ether. It is used in cooking and as a seasoning, a nutritional supplement, and also as an insecticide.

Contents

Preparation

Garlic oil is typically prepared using steam distillation, [1] where crushed garlic is steamed with the resultant condensation containing the oil. [2] Garlic oil contains volatile sulfur compounds such as diallyl disulfide, a 60% constituent of the oil. [1] [3] [4] [5] Steam-distilled garlic oil typically has a pungent and disagreeable odor and a brownish-yellow color. [6] Its odor has been attributed to the presence of diallyl disulfide. [1] [6] To produce around 1 gram of pure steam-distilled garlic oil, around 500 grams of garlic is required. [2] Undiluted garlic oil has 900 times the strength of fresh garlic, and 200 times the strength of dehydrated garlic. [6]

Ether can also be used to extract garlic oil. [2] A type of garlic oil involves soaking diced or crushed garlic in vegetable oil, but this is not pure garlic oil; rather it is a garlic-infused oil. [2]

Uses

Garlic oil is used as a dietary supplement or digestive aid commonly sold in capsules, which may be diluted with other ingredients. [1] [2] Some commercial preparations are produced with various levels of dilution, such as a preparation that contains 10% garlic oil. [6] There is no clinical research confirming health effects of consuming garlic oil. [1]

Stabilized garlic flavor blend is a proprietary mixture of dehydrated garlic powder infused with garlic oil, which increases the flavor of the garlic powder. [7]

Garlic oil can be used as an insecticide, diluted with water and sprayed on plants. [8] [9]

Potential adverse effects

Common adverse effects of consuming garlic, garlic oil, and garlic supplements are breath and body odor, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and other symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders. [1] Garlic oil consumption may have anticoagulant effects in some people, causing bleeding, and may interfere with prescription drugs. [1]

Garlic-flavored oil

Garlic-flavored oil: vegetable oil infused with garlic used for seasoning Garlic oil.jpg
Garlic-flavored oil: vegetable oil infused with garlic used for seasoning

Garlic-flavored oil is produced and used for cooking and seasoning purposes, and is sometimes used as an ingredient in seasoning mixtures. [2] [6] This differs from essential garlic oil, and typically involves the use of chopped, macerated or crushed garlic placed in various vegetable oils to flavor the oil. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Garlic is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. It is native to South Asia, Central Asia and northeastern Iran and has long been used as a seasoning worldwide, with a history of several thousand years of human consumption and use. It was known to ancient Egyptians and has been used as both a food flavoring and a traditional medicine. China produced 73% of the world's supply of garlic in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seasoning</span> Process of supplementing food via herbs, salts, or spices

Seasoning is the process of supplementing food via herbs, spices, salts, and/or sugar, intended to enhance a particular flavour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Condiment</span> Substance added to food for flavour

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anise</span> Species of flowering plant

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An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the oil of the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove. An essential oil is essential in the sense that it contains the essence of the plant's fragrance—the characteristic fragrance of the plant from which it is derived. The term "essential" used here does not mean indispensable or usable by the human body, as with the terms essential amino acid or essential fatty acid, which are so called because they are nutritionally required by a living organism.

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Chili powder is the dried, pulverized fruit of one or more varieties of chili pepper, sometimes with the addition of other spices. It is used as a spice to add pungency (piquancy) and flavor to culinary dishes. In American English, the spelling is usually "chili"; in British English, "chilli" is used consistently.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diallyl disulfide</span> Chemical compound

Diallyl disulfide is an organosulfur compound derived from garlic and a few other genus Allium plants. Along with diallyl trisulfide and diallyl tetrasulfide, it is one of the principal components of the distilled oil of garlic. It is a yellowish liquid which is insoluble in water and has a strong garlic odour. It is produced during the decomposition of allicin, which is released upon crushing garlic and other plants of the family Alliaceae. Diallyl disulfide has many of the health benefits of garlic, but it is also an allergen causing garlic allergy. Highly diluted, it is used as a flavoring in food. It decomposes in the human body into other compounds such as allyl methyl sulfide.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Instant soup</span>

Instant soup is a type of soup designed for fast and simple preparation. Some are homemade, and some are mass-produced on an industrial scale and treated in various ways to preserve them. A wide variety of types, styles and flavors of instant soups exist. Commercial instant soups are usually dried or dehydrated, canned, or treated by freezing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Popcorn seasoning</span> Ingredients used to flavor popcorn

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Chili oil is a condiment made from vegetable oil that has been infused with chili peppers. Different types of oil and hot peppers are used, and other components may also be included. It is commonly used in Chinese cuisine, Southeast Asian cuisine, Italy, and elsewhere. It is particularly popular in western Chinese cuisines such as Sichuan cuisine, Hunan cuisine, Guizhou cuisine, and Shaanxi cuisine where it is used as an ingredient in cooked dishes as well as a condiment. It is sometimes used as a dip for meat and dim sum. It is also employed in the Korean Chinese noodle soup dish jjamppong.

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References

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  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Stanway, P. (2012). The Miracle of Garlic: Practical Tips for Health & Home. Watkins Media. p. 25. ISBN   978-1-78028-607-5 . Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  3. Kenneth T. Farrell (1999), Spices, condiments, and seasonings (2nd ed.), Gaithersburg, Md.: Aspen Publishers, p. 101, ISBN   0-8342-1337-0
  4. Dennis J. McKenna (2011), Botanical Medicines : the Desk Reference for Major Herbal Supplements. (Second ed.), New York: Routledge, p. 377, ISBN   978-1-136-39356-3
  5. Hans Ferdinand Linskens (1991), Essential Oils and Waxes, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, p. 105, ISBN   978-3-642-84023-4
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Farrell, K.T. (1998). Spices, Condiments and Seasonings. Chapman & Hall food science book. Springer US. p. 101. ISBN   978-0-8342-1337-1 . Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  7. Indian Spices. Spices Export Promotion Council. 1996. p. 46. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  8. Ellis, B.W.; Bradley, F.M.; Atthowe, H. (1996). The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control: A Complete Problem-Solving Guide to Keeping Your Garden and Yard Healthy Without Chemicals. Rodale Books. p. 473. ISBN   978-0-87596-753-0 . Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  9. Baser, K.H.C.; Buchbauer, G. (2015). Handbook of Essential Oils: Science, Technology, and Applications, Second Edition. CRC Press. p. 659. ISBN   978-1-4665-9047-2 . Retrieved December 29, 2017.