Garlic Oil is produced by steam distillation of the crushed garlic, the bulbs of Allium Sativum which is grown all over the world in temperate areas. The oil is distilled in Bulgaria, China, Mexico, Egypt, France, Germany and Japan. Egypt has been a major producer during the past two decades. Fresh bulbs are preferred for distillation. Garlic Oil is a colorless to pale yellow mobile liquid and it has an extremely intense obnoxious odor, to a certain degree reminiscent of garlic, but with a predominant mercaptane like note which masks the delicate, although strong and highly diffusive garlic odor. It is not lachrymatory, but simply so obnoxious that it scares even garlic enthousiasts. An amino acid called Alliun is found in certain cells of the bulb. Alliun is nearly odorless, however, in separate cells in the undamaged bulb, we find an enzyme which can convert the Allium to the sulfide Allicin, a substance which has the typical garlic odor. However, during the steam distillation, the latter material is further converted into other sulfides which we smell in garlic oil, although not in crushed garlic.
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