Effects of Storage Temperature and pH on the Stability of Antibacterial Effectiveness of Garlic Extract against Escherichia coli B34

The effect of long-term storage on garlic antibacterial activity was investigated. A concentration of 5% or more garlic was found to be necessary to completely inhibit Escherichia coli growth in tryptic soy broth. This value is substantially higher than the minimum inhibitory concentration of 1% for E. coli reported previously. pH-modified garlic extract was stored at different temperatures to investigate the impact of storage conditions (i.e., temperature, pH, period of storage) on the stability of the antibacterial activity of the garlic extract used against E. coli B34. The antibacterial effectiveness of the garlic extract against E. coli remained stable when both the storage temperature and the pH of the extract were kept low. When the garlic extract was stored at 40 C and above, most or all of the garlic antibacterial activity disappeared after a 24-h storage period, regardless of the storage pH. The antibacterial activity was weakened when the pH of the garlic extract was adjusted to 8, and at low temperatures.