A physiological indicator to estimate allicin content in garlic during storage

Abstract

The aim of the present work was to evaluate the application of a physiological indicator as marker of allicin content during postharvest storage at different temperatures. Sureño INTA garlic cultivar was stored at room temperature (20C ± 3) and cold storage (0C ± 0.5). Samples were taken periodically and allicin, pyruvate content were analyzed and the sprout growth was measured through of the visual index of dormancy (VID). The results showed that regardless of storage temperature, allicin, pyruvate content and VID changed significantly during the period of the assay. For the conditions evaluated, the highest allicin content was observed at 50% and 100% VID. These facts suggest that VID may be a suitable tool to estimate allicin level during storage. Practical aplications: This work was addressed to resolve the problem of standardization of garlic subproducts according to their bioactive compounds levels. The information acquired is important for farmers and the food and phytotherapic industry in order to guarantee the adequate supply of garlic subproducts to the consumer. Therefore, we found that it is important to consider a physiological indicator as a tool to estimate the bioactive compound levels during postharvest storage.