J Korean Soc Appl Biol Chem (2014) 57(3), 311-317 DOI 10.1007/s13765-014-4021-4 Online ISSN 2234-344X Print ISSN 1738-2203 Comparison of Antimicrobial Activity, Phytochemical Profile and Minerals Composition of Garlic Allium sativum and Allium tuberosum Nauman Khalid · Iftikhar Ahmed · Malik Shah Zaman Latif · Tariq Rafique · Sardar Atiq Fawad Received: 20 January 2014 / Accepted: 15 April 2014 / Published Online: 25 May 2014 © The Korean Society for Applied Biological Chemistry and Springer 2014 Abstract Allium species are considered to be one of the world’s oldest cultivated vegetables. Most commonly used species of garlic in Pakistan and India is Allium sativum, while Allium tuberosum is mainly consumed and cultivated in China, Southeast Asia, and North-east part of India. The present study was conducted to compare the antimicrobial activity, nutritional value and antioxidant profile of Allium sativum and Allium tuberosum. The outcome indicates that Allium tuberosum have slightly higher antimicrobial activity, higher mineral profile, and enriched in antioxidants in comparison with Allium sativum. The highest antimicrobial activity of Allium tuberosum was noticed against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis with 43.9 and 40.7 mm zone of inhibition using 100% extract. Allium tuberosum contains high contents of calcium (28.662±.00 mg/100 g), potassium (10.62±0.50) and zinc (59.00±1.00). Allium tuberosum also showed higher antioxidant activity (0.24±0.03 mg vitamin C equivalent (VCE)/g fresh weight in ferric reducing antioxidant power assay, 0.18±0.02 mg VCE/g fresh weight in 2,2-diphenyl- 1-picrylhydrazyl assay and 1.09±0.12 mg VCE/g fresh weight in 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) assay) in comparison with Allium sativum. Keywords Allium sativum · Allium tuberosum · antimicrobial activity · comparison · minerals · phytochemical assay Introduction Nutraceutical foods owing to their functional and health perspectives are getting popular in all over the world (Khalid et al., 2011). Traditional plants are the popular therapeutic carrier for nutraceutical foods. Diets based on plant based products elucidate the importance of functional ingredients, these plants include garlic, onion, black cumin, green tea ginger etc. (Fawad et al., 2012). Onion and garlic may perhaps be the first cultivated crops. Their versatility, portability, long storage time and functional attributes are documented since long time (Butt et al., 2009). Allium family has over 600 members, distributed all over in Europe, North America, Northern Africa and Asia. All of these members have great variation in taste, form, color and visual appearance but close in biochemical, phytochemical and nutraceutical contents (Benkeblia and Lanzotti, 2007). Most commonly used species of garlic in Pakistan and India is Allium sativum, whereas Allium tuberosum species is mainly consumed and cultivated in China, Southeast Asia, and North-east part of India (Fenwick and Hanley, 1990). Garlic is a rich source of numerous chemical compounds mainly sulphur compounds like: ajoene, allicin, alliin, allyl disulfides, allyl sulfides, allyl trisulfides, cycloalliin, cysteine, cysteine sulfoxides, cystine, diallyl sulfides, dimethyl sulfides, disulfides, glutathione, methionine, methyl sulfides, pseudoscordinine, scordinine, sulfanes, tetrathiol, thiosulfinates, and trisulfides (Lanzotti, 2006; Choudhary, 2008; Butt et al., 2009). Similarly, it also contains high levels of phosphorous, calcium and iron. It is N. Khalid () Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, 1- 1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, 113-8657 Tokyo, Japan E-mail: nauman_khalid120@yahoo.com I. Ahmed National Institute for Genomics & Advanced Biotechnology, National Agricultural Research Centre, Park Road, Islamabad, 45500, Pakistan M. S. Z. Latif Department of Biochemistry, Dera Ghazi Khan Medical College, Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan T. Rafique Plant Genetic Resources Institute, National Agricultural Research Centre, Park Road, Islamabad, 45500, Pakistan S. A. Fawad Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hazara University, Mansehra, Pakistan ARTICLE