A compound in garlic is 100 times more powerful than two common types of antibiotics in fighting bacteria that causes food poisoning, according to scientists.

(From medical daily). The compound called diallyl sulphide and which is found in garlic targets a specific metabolic enzyme. It is especially effective in penetrating & quickly destroying the slimy ‘biofilm’ that protects colonies of Campylobacter bacterium that makes the food bug 1,000 times more resistant to antibiotics than bacteria without the film.

Researchers said that the latest discovery may lead to future treatments for raw and processed meats, and food preparation surfaces, that most bacterial infections stem from.

According to the researcher Dr. Michael Konkel, from Washington State University, "this is the first step in developing or thinking about new intervention strategies. Campylobacter is simply the most common bacterial cause of food-borne illness.”

The bacteria cause such symptoms as diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain and fever. Campylobacter is also responsible for causing nearly a third of cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare paralyzing disorder.

Most Campylobacter infections are from eating raw or undercooked poultry or foods that have been cross-contaminated through infected surfaces or utensils used to prepare poultry.

Previous studies also showed that the garlic ingredients are effective against other types of food-borne pathogens. However, Konkel warned that while eating garlic is generally considered a healthy proactive, it was unlikely to prevent Campylobacter food poisoning.

However “diallyl sulfide may be useful in reducing the levels of the Campylobacterin the environment and to clean industrial food processing equipment, as the bacterium is found in a biofilm in both settings," Konkel added.

"Diallyl sulfide could make many foods safer to eat," Co-researcher Dr. Barbara Rasco, another member of the Washington State University team said in a statement. "It can be used to clean food preparation surfaces and as a preservative in packaged foods like potato and pasta salads, coleslaw and deli meats."

"This would not only extend shelf life but it would also reduce the growth of potentially bad bacteria," she added.