Odor Components of Human Breath After the Ingestion of Grated Raw Garlic

The major odor components of finely grated, raw garlic in the air of the human mouth have been studied. Immediately after garlic ingestion, tests of the mouth air of six subjects revealed two major peaks that were positively identified as being allyl mercaptan and diallyl disulfide; these findings are based on an evaluation of the fragment patterns of a GC-MS analysis and from the actual retention times of these authentic compounds. The allyl mercaptan level was higher than the level of diallyl disulfide, although both compounds smell like garlic. Our results suggest that after garlic ingestion, allyl mercaptan is the major garlic-smelling compound in human mouth air, and diallyl disulfide is secondary.