Obtaining Allicin from Garlic with High-Speed Counter Current Chromatography

A joint study between the College of Food Science and Engineering at Shandong Agricultural University (Shandong, China) and the Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts Amherst has concentrated on the preparation of large quantities of allicin and the evaluation of the effects of different conditions and endogenous substances (polyphenols and free amino acids) in garlic on its stability through the use of high-speed counter current chromatography (HSCCC). A paper based on this work was published in NPJ Science of Food (1).

A compound that may help ease inflammation and block free radicals—unstable molecules that harm cells and tissues in your body (2)—allicin is formed when garlic is crushed or chopped; those processes activate the enzyme alliinase, which converts the compound alliin into allicin (3).Allicin has shown several therapeutic effects, including protection against cardiovascular diseases, cancer, asthma, and high blood pressure (4,5). Researchers have also found that allicin and its degradation products are closely associated with garlic’s special scent and flavor (6). Allicin is usually obtained from garlic through organic reagent extraction and semi-preparative high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). However, high amounts of solvents are used, and the efficiency of the extraction process is poor because of the instability of allicin and the time-consuming nature of the operation (7,8).

HSCCC, an advanced liquid-liquid chromatography technique, employs a liquid stationary phase in addition to a liquid mobile phase, which effectively eliminates irreversible adsorption. HSCCC offers minimal sample loss, reduced contamination, and high separation efficiency. In addition, it allows for rapid and large-scale preparative separations, which makes it a valuable tool in the isolation and purification of compounds in various applications, including traditional Chinese medicine ingredient separation, biochemistry natural product chemistry, bioengineering, and environmental analysis(9–12).

The research team’s efforts resulted in the preparation of allicin with 92.57% purity and the observation that its degradation rate accelerated with the increases of initial concentration and temperature. These findings provide insights for optimizing allicin for storage and for food processing applications. The study team concluded that HSCCC could be an effective way for preparing high purity allicin and other organosulfur compounds in large quantities in one injection (1).

Fresh peeled garlic and bulbs. © Milan - stock.adobe.com

References

1. Zhou, S.; Yan, X.; Qiao, X.; et al. Evaluate the Stability of Synthesized Allicin and its Reactivity with Endogenous Compounds in Garlic. NPJ Sci. Food 2025, 9 (1), 18. DOI: 10.1038/s41538-025-00374-2

2. Ried, K. Garlic Lowers Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Individuals, Regulates Serum Cholesterol, and Stimulates Immunity: An Updated Meta-analysis and Review. J Nutr. 2016, 146 (2), 389S–396S. DOI: DOI: 10.3945/jn.114.202192

3. Borlinghaus, J.; Albrecht, F.; Gruhlke, M. C.; Nwachukwu, I. D.; Slusarenko, A. J. Allicin: Chemistry and Biological Properties. Molecules 2014,19 (8), 12591–618. DOI: 10.3390/molecules190812591

4. Chan, J. Y.; Yuen, A. C.; Chan, R. Y.; Chan, S. W. A Review of the Cardiovascular Benefits and Antioxidant Properties of Allicin. Phytother. Res. 2013, 27 (5), 637–646. DOI: 10.1002/ptr.4796

5. Wang, J.; Zhang, X.; Lan, H.; Wang, W. Effect of Garlic Supplement in the Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM): A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Food Nutr. Res. 2017, 61 (1), 1377571. DOI: 10.1080/16546628.2017.1377571

6. Bhattacharya, S.; Sen, D.; Bhattacharjee, C. Strategic Development to Stabilize Bioactive Diallyl Thiosulfinate by pH Responsive Non Ionic Micelle Carrier System. Process Biochem. 2022, 120, 64–73. DOI: 10.1016/j.procbio.2022.05.027

7. Bhattacharya, S.; Gupta, D.; Sen, D.; Bhattacharjee, C. Process Intensification on the Enhancement of Allicin Yield from Allium sativum Through Ultrasound Attenuated Nonionic Micellar Extraction. Chem. Eng. Process. Process Intensification 2021, 169, 108610. DOI: 10.1016/j.cep.2021.108610

8. Jiang, H.; Xing, Z.; Wang, Y.; et al. Preparation of Allicin-Whey Protein Isolate Conjugates: Allicin Extraction by Water, Conjugates’ Ultrasound-Assisted Binding and its Stability, Solubility and Emulsibility Analysis. Ultrasonics Sonochem. 2020, 63, 104981. DOI: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2020.104981

9. Zhang, Q.-P.; Wang, Z.-T.; Chou, G.-X Preparative Separation of Four Alkaloids from Gelsemium elegans by High-speed Counter-Current Chromatography. Chin. Herb. Med. 2015, 7, 267–272. DOI: 10.1016/S1674-6384(15)60049-1

10. Yang, K.; Wang, S. B.; Pei, D.; Pu, L. M.; Huang, X. Y. Effective Separation of Maslinic Acid and Oleanolic Acid from Olive Pomace Using High-Speed Shear Off-Line Coupled with High-Speed Countercurrent Chromatography and Their Antibacterial Activity Test. J. Chromatogr. B Analyt. Technol. Biomed. Life Sci. 2024, 1236, 124069. DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2024.124069

11. Neves, N. C. V.; de Mello, M. P.; Zaidan, I.; et al. Campomanesia lineatifolia Ruiz & Pavón (Myrtaceae): Isolation of Major and Minor Compounds of Phenolic-Rich Extract by High-Speed Countercurrent Chromatography and Anti-Inflammatory Evaluation. J. Ethnopharmacol. 2023, 310, 116417. DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2023.116417

12. Wang, W.; Li, W.; Shi, J.; Ahmed Memon, S.; Wei, Y. The Enrichment and Separation of Lanthanides Ions from Wastewater Using Solvent Sublation Coupled with High Speed Countercurrent Chromatography. J. Mol. Liquids 2024, 399, 124375. DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2024.124375