Anti-Mycotic Activity of Garlic Extracts and Extract Fractions in vitro and in planta

Abstract

This study was designed to evaluate the inhibitory effects of garlic extracts on the growth of pathogenic molds in planta, using cherry tomatoes as the test commodity. As expected, aqueous and ethanolic extracts of garlic were inhibitory in vitro to a wide range of molds previously isolated from contaminated produce. The extracts were only moderately effective at reducing lesion diameter caused by the growth of two Alternaria spp. Several attempts to further isolate the active inhibitor by solid phase extraction were not successful. These results suggest that despite the effectiveness of garlic as a mold inhibitor in vitro, the whole garlic extract is only moderately effective inhibitor in planta.