Antibacterial Activity of Garlic Extract against Escherichia coli

Antibacterial action of garlic extract against Escherichia coli was investigated. When the survival of E. cloi in tryptic soy broth (TSB) containing 50% garlic extract was compared with those of Lactobacillus plantarum, Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli was the most sensitive to garlic antibacterial action. When E. coli was inoculated into TSB with different concentrations of garlic extract, viable cell number decreased continuously during the test period even at 1% garlic extract. When E. coli was inoculated into pH-adjusted TSB containing 0.5% garlic extract, viable cell number of E. coli decreased continuously at initial pH of 5.2 and 6.2, while it decreased initially but increased to at 48 hr at pH 7.2. With larger initial populations , E. coli grew without apparent inhibition, while with smaller initial populations $(