QUALITY ANALYSIS AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF GARLIC POWDER USED IN NILE TILAPIA DIET

Plants with therapeutic activities are important tools in disease prevention since antiquity. Secondary metabolites are bioactive molecules that promote therapeutic effects, being able to be used in human or animal medicine. Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is the focus of several studies due to its benefits, such as antioxidant, immunostimulant and antimicrobial activity. However, for pharmacological properties to occur, the material quality must be ensured. Thus, this study analyzes the powder garlic quality used in Nile Tilapia fingerlings diet. Organoleptic, purity, integrity and chemical composition analyzes were carried out. The results were 70 mm for granulometry, 0.41 g.mL-1 for density, 3.21% for total ash, 0.83% for acid-insoluble ash, 7.99% for moisture, 200 for the afrosimetric index, and no strange material was detected. A phytochemical analysis detected the presence of flavonoids, saponins, resins, and coumarins. The analysis of the volatile oil revealed that allicin is one of the major constituents. The scavenging of garlic extracts was in the order H2O > EtOH > EtAc (100, 52.13 and 8.35%, respectively) at 10 mg.mL-1. The EC50 was found to be 2.35 and 9.76 mg.mL-1 for H2O and EtOH, respectively. The analyzed sample shows conformity to its use as a constituent of Nile tilapia food.