How Products were Selected: Products were selected to represent those commonly available in the U.S. and Canada. ConsumerLab.com purchased products on the open market through retail stores, on-line retailers, and direct sales or multi-level marketing companies. Products were not accepted directly from manufacturers. For each product, the sample was composed of one or more purchased samples from a lot having an expiration date (if labeled) later than the date of testing.
Testing Method: Garlic products with label claims for their alliin content, allicin yield and other related compounds were tested for the various constituents, while garlic products making no label claims were tested for their alliin content, allicin yield or gamma-glutamyl-(S)-allyl-L-cysteine content. All products were first analyzed using USP Monograph methods utilizing a HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) assay in an independent laboratory.
Disintegration of non-chewable, non-capsule, non-enteric coated and non-time-release formulations were analyzed utilizing USP (United States Pharmacopeia) <2040> recommendations entitled "Disintegration and Dissolution of Nutritional Supplements."
Analyses for the heavy metals arsenic, cadmium and lead were made using Inductively Coupled Plasma/Mass Spectroscopy (ICP/MS).
Any product that did not pass the testing was sent to another independent laboratory to repeat testing for at least one of the criteria on which it did not pass. The identities of the products were not disclosed to the laboratories performing the testing.
Passing Score: * To achieve a "Pass" in the testing, a product had to:
Meet 100% of label claims for alliin, allicin yield, alliinase activity, total gamma-glutamylcysteines and gamma-glutamyl-(S)-allyl-L-cysteine;
If no label claim was made for garlic constituents, product must meet the minimum marker levels for the specific garlic type in the product:
Fresh or dried garlic products, of Allium sativum Linne, must contain not less than 0.5% alliin and not less than 0.2% gamma-glutamyl-(S)-allyl-L-cysteine calculated on the dry weight basis. (USP 25 Official Monograph)
Aged garlic, prepared from the fresh or dried bulbs of Allium sativum Linne, must contain not less than 0.05% gamma-glutamyl-(S)-allyl-L-cysteine calculated on the dry weight basis.
Powdered garlic, from dried or freeze-dried bulbs of Allium sativum Linne, must contain not less than 0.3% alliin and not less than 0.1% gamma-glutamyl-(S)-allyl-L-cysteine calculated on the dry weight basis. (USP 25 Official Monograph)
Powdered garlic extract, from the fresh bulbs of Allium sativum Linne, by must contain not less than 4.0% alliin calculated on a dry weight basis. (USP 25 Official Monograph)
Fresh or dried, powdered or powdered garlic extract containing products must meet label claim for allicin potential and produce no less than 3,000 mcg allicin/g garlic (dry wt.).
Suggested daily dose of non-aged garlic products must yield at least 2,400 mcg of allicin (two-thirds of the minimum expected allicin yield of a clove of fresh garlic).
Heavy Metal Contamination:
Must not exceed California Prop 65 levels for lead contamination in a recommended daily serving and, in no event, exceed 2 mcg of lead in a recommended daily serving. (The State of California has established its own strict standards for lead, including 0.5 micrograms of lead per serving per day for foods and most supplements — although this is raised to 1.5 micrograms per daily serving for calcium supplements. Products sold in California that exceed these levels are required to bear warning labels).
Contain less than 0.3 parts per million (or micrograms per gram of dried root) of cadmium (World Health Organization proposed guidelines).
Meet recommended USP parameters for disintegration for vitamin supplements (excluding capsule, enteric coated, chewable and time-release products).
Meet all FDA labeling requirements.
* Minimum standards allow for specific margins of technical error associated with each analysis and are based on meeting the above criteria in either the first or second rounds of testing.
ConsumerLab.com reserves the right to disqualify a product at any time from passing its testing if it considers such product to present a safety risk or to provide misleading or inaccurate information in its labeling.
