What is "alliin"

n. (context biochemistry English) A sulfoxide derived from cysteine, primarily responsible for the aroma of freshly chopped garlic.

Alliin is a sulfoxide that is a natural constituent of fresh garlic. It is a derivative of the amino acid cysteine. When fresh garlic is chopped or crushed, the enzyme alliinase converts alliin into allicin, which is responsible for the aroma of fresh garlic. Garlic has been used since antiquity as a therapeutic remedy for certain conditions now associated with oxygen toxicity, and, when this was investigated, garlic did indeed show strong antioxidant and hydroxyl radical-scavenging properties, it is presumed owing to the alliin contained within.

Alliin has been found to affect immune responses in blood.

Alliin was the first natural product found to have both carbon- and sulfur-centered stereochemistry.