Garlic oil is the volatile oil derived from garlic.[1][2][3] 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.
Preparation
Garlic oil is typically prepared using steam distillation, where crushed garlic is steamed with the resultant condensation containing the oil.[1] Garlic oil contains volatile sulfur compounds such as diallyl disulfide, a 60% constituent of the oil.[1][4][5][6] Steam-distilled garlic oil typically has a pungent and disagreeable odor and a brownish-yellow color.[5] Its odor has been attributed to the presence of diallyl disulfide.[5] To produce around 1 gram of pure steam-distilled garlic oil, around 500 grams of garlic is required.[1] Undiluted garlic oil has 900 times the strength of fresh garlic, and 200 times the strength of dehydrated garlic.[5]
Ether can also be used to extract garlic oil.[1] 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.[1]
Uses
Garlic oil is used as a nutritional supplement, and is sometimes marketed in the form of capsules, which may be diluted with other ingredients.[1][5] Some commercial preparations are produced with various levels of dilution, such as a preparation that contains 10% garlic oil.[5] Herbal folklore holds that garlic oil has antifungal and antibiotic properties,[2] but there is no clinical research confirming such effects. It is also sold in health food stores as a digestive aid.[7]
It can also be used as an insecticide, diluted with water and sprayed on plants.[2][8]
Stabilized garlic flavor blend is a proprietary mixture of dehydrated garlic powder infused with garlic oil, which increases the flavor of the garlic powder.[9]
Garlic-flavored oil
Garlic-flavored oil is produced and used for cooking and seasoning purposes, and is sometimes used as an ingredient in seasoning mixtures.[1][5] 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.
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