Executive Summary
A nutraceutical manufacturer required a fully automated, GMP-oriented Garlic Extract Manufacturing Plant capable of producing Stabilised Allicin Powder, Aged Garlic Extract (AGE), Garlic Oil, Garlic Oleoresin, and standardised garlic extracts for domestic and international markets.
The customer required a turnkey processing facility capable of preserving heat-sensitive sulphur compounds, maximising allicin yield, minimising oxidation, reducing solvent and utility consumption, and consistently producing export-quality products to the customer's quality and regulatory requirements, with documentation to support qualification.
Mechotech successfully designed, engineered, manufactured, supplied, installed, and commissioned a Garlic Extraction Plant integrating raw material preparation, enzymatic conversion, controlled extraction, solvent recovery, vacuum concentration, stabilisation, drying, and intelligent PLC-SCADA automation.
Customer Background
The customer supplies garlic ingredients to nutraceutical companies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, dietary supplement brands, functional food manufacturers, herbal medicine companies, food ingredient manufacturers, veterinary product companies, and international ingredient exporters. The growing global demand for natural immunity boosters, cardiovascular health supplements, and botanical ingredients led the customer to establish a modern automated manufacturing facility.
Customer Challenges
Before modernisation, the customer faced:
- Rapid degradation of allicin
- Poor extraction efficiency
- Oxidation during processing
- High solvent consumption
- Manual production inconsistencies
- Long production cycles
- High operating costs
- Inconsistent export quality
- Limited production capacity
Project Objectives
Mechotech developed a turnkey solution capable of:
- Processing 20 MT/day of Fresh Garlic Bulbs
- Producing stabilised allicin extracts
- Manufacturing aged garlic extract
- Producing garlic oil and oleoresin
- Preserving bioactive sulphur compounds
- Recovering extraction solvent for reuse
- Reducing energy consumption
- Documentation to support the customer's quality and regulatory qualification
- Supporting expansion
Raw Material
- Botanical Name
- Allium sativum
- Common Name
- Garlic
- Plant Part Used
- Fresh Garlic Bulbs
- Daily Processing Capacity
- 20,000 kg/day
Finished Product
Available Options
Applications
- Immunity Supplements
- Cardiovascular Health Products
- Herbal Capsules
- Tablets
- Functional Foods
- Sports Nutrition
- Veterinary Supplements
- Pharmaceutical Formulations
Process Flow
Process Description
Raw Material Preparation
Fresh garlic bulbs are washed, peeled, inspected, and crushed under controlled hygienic conditions to activate the natural enzyme Alliinase, initiating conversion of Alliin into Allicin.
Enzymatic Conversion
The crushed garlic is held under carefully controlled temperature and pH conditions to maximise allicin formation before extraction.
Advantages include:
- Improved extraction efficiency
- Higher biological activity
- Consistent product quality
Low-Temperature Extraction
Extraction is performed using food-grade hydro-alcoholic solvents under low-temperature conditions to preserve volatile sulphur compounds and minimise degradation.
The extraction process ensures:
- High allicin recovery
- Reduced oxidation
- Uniform extraction efficiency
Filtration
The crude extract passes through multi-stage filtration to remove insoluble solids and improve downstream purification.
Vacuum Solvent Recovery
The filtered extract enters high-efficiency vacuum evaporators where extraction solvent is recovered, condensed, purified, and recycled.
Benefits include:
- Lower production cost
- Reduced environmental impact
- Enhanced process safety
Vacuum Concentration
The extract is concentrated under controlled vacuum conditions to preserve allicin, sulphur compounds, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity.
Purification & Standardisation
Advanced purification systems standardise the extract according to customer requirements.
Typical standardisations include:
- Allicin Content
- Alliin Content
- SAC (S-Allyl Cysteine) for Aged Garlic Extract
- Total Organosulfur Compounds
- Polyphenols
- Moisture
Drying
Depending on customer requirements:
- Spray Drying
- Vacuum Drying
- Freeze Drying (Premium Grade)
The drying system ensures:
- High allicin retention
- Long shelf life
Quality Standardisation
Each production batch is analysed for:
- Allicin Content
- Alliin Content
- S-Allyl Cysteine
- Total Sulphur Compounds
- Moisture
- Residual Solvent
- Heavy Metals
- Microbial Limits
- Bulk Density
- Particle Size
Major Equipment Supplied
- Garlic Washing System
- Automatic Garlic Peeler
- Garlic Crusher
- Enzymatic Conversion Reactors
- Stainless Steel Extraction Vessels
- Pressure Leaf Filters
- Vacuum Evaporators
- Solvent Recovery System
- Purification Columns
- Spray Dryer / Freeze Dryer
- Ribbon Blender
- Storage Tanks
- PLC-SCADA Automation Panel
- Electrical MCC
- Instrumentation Package
- CIP/SIP System
Automation Features
The plant incorporates intelligent PLC-SCADA automation featuring:
- Automatic Recipe Management
- Enzymatic Reaction Control
- Temperature Monitoring
- pH Monitoring
- Solvent Flow Monitoring
- Vacuum Control
- Dryer Automation
- Batch Traceability
- Alarm Management
- Production Analytics
- Utility Monitoring
- Remote Diagnostics
- Industry 4.0 Connectivity
GMP & Safety Features
The plant is designed with hygienic, GMP-oriented practice in view; the standards that apply to the client's facility and product are scoped per project. Features include:
- SS 316L product-contact surfaces
- Hygienic sanitary piping
- Closed-loop extraction system
- Explosion-proof solvent handling
- Nitrogen blanketing
- Food-grade elastomers
- CIP & SIP compatible systems
- Validation-ready equipment
- GMP-oriented layout
- HACCP-oriented engineering
Plant Utilities
- Steam Boiler
- Chilled Water System
- Cooling Tower
- Vacuum System
- Air Compressor
- RO Water System
- Soft Water System
- Electrical Power
- Nitrogen System
Sustainability Features
The plant incorporates environmentally responsible engineering through:
- Closed-loop solvent recovery
- Low-temperature extraction
- Heat recovery systems
- Energy-efficient vacuum evaporation
- Water conservation
- Reduced emissions
- Utility optimisation
- Sustainable manufacturing practices
Customer Benefits
Following successful commissioning, the customer achieved:
- Higher allicin recovery
- Improved product stability
- Closed-loop solvent recovery
- Reduced production costs
- Lower utility consumption
- Increased manufacturing capacity
- Documentation to support regulatory qualification
Plants Used In This Project
Why Mechotech?
Mechotech is a manufacturer of turnkey extraction plants for nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, botanical extracts, essential oils, food ingredients, and specialty herbal products. With engineering expertise, our advanced extraction technology, solvent recovery systems, low-temperature processing, and PLC-SCADA automation enable customers worldwide to manufacture premium botanical ingredients.
Conclusion
The Garlic Extract (Allicin) Manufacturing Plant from Mechotech provides a complete turnkey solution for producing stabilised Garlic Extract, Allicin Powder, Aged Garlic Extract, Garlic Oil, and Garlic Oleoresin. Through advanced low-temperature extraction, precision stabilisation, intelligent automation, and hygienic GMP engineering, the facility combines these process stages in a single turnkey solution.
Key Technical Highlights
- Raw Material
- Allium sativum (Garlic)
- Finished Products
- Garlic Extract, Allicin Powder, Aged Garlic Extract, Garlic Oil, Garlic Oleoresin
- Technology
- Enzymatic Conversion + Low-Temperature Extraction + Vacuum Solvent Recovery + Spray/Freeze Drying
- Solvent Recovery
- Established during process development
- Automation
- PLC-SCADA with Industry 4.0 Integration
- Construction Material
- SS 304 / SS 316L
- Compliance
- Hygienic, GMP-oriented design with documentation to support the client's qualification; applicable standards are scoped per project
- Applications
- Nutraceuticals, Pharmaceuticals, Functional Foods, Dietary Supplements, Veterinary Products
Why Global Manufacturers Choose Mechotech
- engineering excellence in botanical extraction and nutraceutical processing
- Complete turnkey execution from laboratory validation to commercial production
- Customised plants from 100 kg/day pilot systems to industrial facilities
- Advanced low-temperature extraction for heat-sensitive bioactive compounds
- High-efficiency solvent recovery
- Intelligent PLC-SCADA automation with complete batch traceability
- Hygienic, GMP-oriented design with documentation to support the client's qualification; applicable standards are scoped per project
- Comprehensive installation, validation, operator training, preventive maintenance, spare parts support, and lifetime technical assistance
- Proven expertise in herbal extracts, essential oils, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, food ingredients, and specialty botanical processing plants
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