14 DAY TRIAL // Investigators from the University of British Columbia (UBC) were recently able to determine that diallyl sulfide and ajoene, two compounds found in garlic, have excellent antibacterial properties when used in the production of dry formula powder for newborns.
A microorganism called Cronobacter sakazakii is known to contaminate this type of powder very often, but the research shows that these two compounds may reduce the risk significantly. By using these agents, it may be possible to put mothers' minds at ease about switching their babies to formula if they want to.
“A trace dose of these two compounds is extremely effective in killing C. sakazakii in the food manufacturing process. They have the potential to eliminate the pathogen before it ever reaches the consumer,” says UBC assistant professor of food safety engineering, Xiaonan Lu.
The expert was also the corresponding author of a new paper detailing the discovery, which was published in a recent issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology, e! Science News reports.