Garlic butter kills pathogens.

Garlic butter has found use in enhancing the flavor of a variety of products. In restaurants, garlic butter often is prepared early in the day and is kept melted for convenient use. In the mid-1990s, an outbreak of C. enteritis in a Louisiana restaurant was associated with garlic butter. Studies have shown that the pathogen doesn't grow in garlic butter that's stored at 21 C.

Researchers at the Center for Food Safety (University of Georgia, Griffin Campus, Griffin, GA 30223) examined the viability of Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes in unsalted butter to which they added fresh, minced jumbo, elephant or regular small-cloved garlic at a 4:1 butter-to-garlic ratio. The scientists monitored the garlic butters for the development of pathogens during a 48-hour period.

one of the pathogens grew in butter, with or without garlic, at any of the storage temperatures. The viability of all pathogens was retained at highest levels at 4.4 C. This was the case regardless of the presence of garlic. Actually, garlic in butter enhanced the inactivation of pathogens at 21 C and 37 C. The greatest rate of inactivation occurred at 37 C. None of the pathogens was recovered from garlic butter that was stored at 37 C for 24 hours or 48 hours.

he inactivation of L. monocytogenes took place at a slower rate than did that of Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7. The die-off of pathogens was more rapid in jumbo garlic butter than in elephant or small-cloved garlic butter. This indicates there are differences in the concentrations of antibacterial compounds, such as allicin, in various garlic cultivars.

Common kitchen spices such as garlic, cinnamon and clove are known to kill the most dangerous strain of E. coli. Scientists at Kansas State University found that in a laboratory study, garlic killed the organism completely. Garlic and clove proved best at killing E. coli O157:H7.

Further information. At the University of Georgia: Michael Doyle; phone: [phone]; fax: [phone]; email: [e-mail]. At Kansas State University: Daniel Fung; phone: [phone]; fax: [phone]; email: [e-mail].