Increased Anti-oxidative Potency of Garlic by Spontaneous Short-term Fermentation

EMIKO SATO & MASAHIRO KOHNO - New Industry Creation Hatchery Center, Tohoku University, 6-6-10 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579, Japan
YOSHIMI NIWANO - New Industry Creation Hatchery Center, Tohoku University, 6-6-10 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579, Japan(author for correspondence Research Center for Functional Food Materials, Sunny Health Co., Ltd., Saito Biotechnology Incubator, 7-7-15, Saito-Asagi, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0085, Japan
HAMASUKE HAMANO - Genki Hamano Shokuhin Kogyo Co, Ltd., Sunrise Sangyo, 253 Yanohama, Owase, Mie 519-3672, Japan


Plant Foods for Human Nutrition 61: 157–160, 2006.
c 2006 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.
DOI: 10.1007/s11130-006-0017-5
Published online: 31 October 2006

Abstract 
Fundamental anti-oxidative properties of 80% ethanol extract fromgarlic fermented for the relatively short period of time (40 days at 60–70◦C, 85–95% relative humidity) were examined. Superoxide dismutase(SOD)-like activity, scavenging activity against hydrogen peroxide and the polyphenol content of the garlic extractwere increased 13-folds,more than 10-folds, and 7-folds, respectively, as compared with those of the control
garlic extract. The results indicate that relatively short-term spontaneous fermentation potentiates anti-oxidative properties of garlic in fresh form, which is, at least in part, attributable to the increased level of polyphenols.Since superoxide is the primary upstream radical of the chain reaction with reactive oxygen species and hydrogen peroxide is generated from the scavenging reaction by SOD, the fermented- garlic is suggested to possess desirable anti-oxidative properties.