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Garlic
Spices Oils Distillation Plants

Garlic

Garlic Spices Oils Distillation Plants — Mechotech

Garlic

Mechotech designs and manufactures turnkey spice-oil distillation plants for garlic bulb (Allium sativum). The plant recovers garlic essential oil by steam or hydro-distillation. Mechotech’s legacy garlic oleoresin page describes garlic’s organosulfur compounds as volatile and reactive, so charge preparation and still conditions are set during process development. The solvent-extracted oleoresin and allicin-standardised routes are listed on separate pages.

Mechotech’s garlic oil plant is configured around the raw material and the target oil. It is built in SS 316L with integrated condensers and oil–water separation, PLC-based automation and full documentation, and is delivered as a commissioned turnkey system. Charge handling is configured around the reactivity of garlic’s sulphur compounds. The distillation mode and operating parameters are established during process development and pilot validation. Garlic oil is made of sulphides formed when allicin breaks down during distillation, so the line is built around gentle, low-temperature steam distillation and careful condensation rather than allicin recovery; the allicin-standardised product is a separate route.

Technical Specifications

ProductGarlic Distillation Plant
Botanical NameAllium sativum
Raw MaterialGarlic bulb
Plant Part / Feed FormBulb (cloves; exact feed form confirmed with the client)
Principal SulphidesDiallyl disulfide (about 60% of the finished oil) and diallyl trisulfide (about 20%), per Mechotech’s garlic oil distillation article; allicin itself does not survive distillation intact
Product CategorySpices Oils Distillation Plants
Extraction MethodSteam, hydro, vacuum or pressure distillation — selected for the volatility and heat-sensitivity of the target oil
Distillation TemperatureLow-temperature steam distillation at 80–95 °C, as described in the article; conditions for the client’s material are set during process development
Product-contact MaterialSS 316L
CondensationMulti-tube condenser with chilled-water circulation
Oil–Water SeparationStainless-steel Florentine flask
FinishingPolish filtration; drying over anhydrous sodium sulphate or by vacuum
AutomationPLC-based
Plant CapacityConfigured to requirement
Utility RequirementsSteam, chilled/cooling water, compressed air and power (project-specific)
ComplianceGMP hygienic design; full documentation for qualification
Final Product FormGarlic essential oil; aromatic hydrosol as co-product

Plant Capacities

Plant ScaleRaw Material ThroughputTypical Use
PilotConfigured to your feedstock and trial planProduct development, parameter validation
Semi-CommercialConfigured between pilot and commercial scaleScale-up trials, contract manufacturing
CommercialConfigured to raw-material supply and confirmed buyer volumeCommercial production

Capacity is configured to raw-material supply, confirmed buyer volume and investment timeline; a pilot plant is recommended to validate parameters before scaling.

Manufacturing Process

1

Raw Material Preparation

Garlic bulbs are peeled or cleaned and crushed or sliced before charging so that the oil-forming compounds are released; the preparation, charge density and any soaking are set during process development.

2

Charging & Distillation

The prepared Garlic charge is loaded into the SS 316L still and distilled by steam, hydro, vacuum or pressure distillation, selected during process development for the volatility and heat-sensitivity of the target oil.

3

Condensation

Vapours pass through a multi-tube condenser with chilled-water circulation, condensing the oil and hydrosol.

4

Oil–Water Separation

Condensate is separated in a stainless-steel Florentine flask; the oil is collected and the hydrosol is drawn off and can be recovered as a co-product.

5

Polishing & Drying

The crude oil is polish-filtered and dried over anhydrous sodium sulphate or by vacuum to remove residual moisture.

6

Quality Control

Each batch is sampled for GC-MS profile and physical parameters — specific gravity, refractive index, optical rotation — against the client’s specification.

Major Plant Equipment

  • Raw material washing, sorting and slicing / grinding system
  • SS 316L distillation still / extractor
  • Multi-tube condenser with chilled-water circulation
  • Stainless-steel Florentine flask (oil–water separator)
  • Polish filtration system
  • Drying unit (anhydrous sodium sulphate or vacuum)
  • CIP system
  • PLC-based automation and instrumentation

Plant Output

Garlic essential oilAromatic hydrosol (co-product)

Applications

  • Aromatherapy and wellness product formulations
  • Natural perfumery and fine fragrance compositions
  • Cosmetics and personal care — moisturisers, serums, shampoos
  • Pharmaceutical topical formulations and liniments
  • Food flavouring and beverage applications (food-grade, where permitted)
  • Insect repellent and household cleaning product formulations
  • Spa and massage oil products
  • Natural air fresheners and home fragrance diffusers

Key Features

  • SS 316L Construction

    Product-contact surfaces are SS 316L for corrosion resistance and product purity, with CIP capability between batches.

  • Efficient Condensation

    Multi-tube condensers with chilled-water circulation condense the volatile oil and hydrosol and limit loss of volatile top-notes.

  • Sulphur-Compound Handling

    Charge preparation and still conditions are configured around garlic’s reactive, volatile organosulfur compounds, as described on Mechotech’s garlic oleoresin page.

  • Low-Temperature Garlic Distillation

    The still is configured for low-temperature steam distillation of garlic, with condensation and oil–water separation matched to the volatile sulphide oil.

  • Hydrosol Recovery

    Integrated oil–water separation allows the aromatic hydrosol to be drawn off and recovered as a co-product.

  • Scalable Capacity

    Plants are configured to requirement from pilot scale upward, with modular expansion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Mechotech supply the complete machinery for Garlic?
Yes. Mechotech supplies the complete turnkey plant for Garlic — engineered, fabricated at our Hyderabad facility, installed and commissioned as a single integrated system. Final process parameters are established during process development and pilot validation.
What specification can the Garlic plant achieve?
The plant is configured to the client’s target specification for Garlic; the specification achieved is established during process development and pilot validation, and each batch is released with batch-release testing and certificate-of-analysis documentation.
What production capacities are available for the Garlic plant?
Capacity for the Garlic plant is configured to raw-material supply, confirmed buyer volume and investment timeline, starting at pilot scale; a pilot plant is recommended to validate parameters before scaling.
Which part of Garlic is processed in the distillation plant?
The catalogue lists garlic bulb (Allium sativum). The exact feed form, such as whole, sliced or crushed cloves, and the time between crushing and charging are confirmed with the client before the plant is configured.
How is Garlic oil produced in the plant?
The prepared Garlic charge is loaded into an SS 316L still and distilled by steam, hydro, vacuum or pressure distillation, selected for the volatility and heat-sensitivity of the target oil. Vapours are condensed in a multi-tube condenser, the oil and hydrosol are separated in a Florentine flask, and the crude oil is polish-filtered and dried before GC-MS and physical-parameter testing.
How does this page differ from Mechotech’s other garlic pages?
This page covers distillation of garlic bulb into essential oil. Garlic Oleoresin and Extract covers the solvent-extracted oleoresin and allicin-standardised route, Garlic Extract (Allium Sativum) is standardised on 3% allicin by HPLC, and Black Garlic Extract Powder covers black garlic. The target product decides which page applies.
Which related spice-oil plants does the catalogue list?
The legacy catalogue lists these related spice-oil distillation plants: Ajwain, Bay Laurel, Cardamom, Clove Buds, Coriander and Cumin. The hub is Spices Oils Distillation Plants.
Is garlic oil the same as allicin?
No. Mechotech’s article on garlic oil distillation explains that allicin is thermally labile and converts during steam distillation into more stable volatile sulphides, chiefly diallyl disulfide (about 60% of the oil) and diallyl trisulfide (about 20%). For an allicin-standardised product see the Garlic Allicin Extraction Plant case study. The Sureka Life Sciences entry for garlic distillation lists ‘5% allicin’, which conflicts with this description, so it is not used on this page and no cross-link is shown.

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