2. The sulfide in black garlic is reduced and the sugar is increased, so the taste is good.

3. The evidence of the efficacy of black garlic is insufficient, but it is still a healthy ingredient.

4, the retail price of black garlic is about 20-40 a catty, beware of being fooled.

Garlic is a Liliaceae plant, and its spicy taste is impressive, so many people don't like garlic.

In recent years, a kind of black garlic has gradually become popular in the north. It not only has no garlic flavor, but also tastes very sweet and glutinous.

It is said that black garlic is a pure natural fermented healthy food. Some people even claim that it can cure diseases and preserve health, and many elderly people flock to it.

How did this thing come from and what are its functions?

How did black garlic come from?

Black garlic was introduced from Japan and South Korea at the beginning of this century. The traditional processing method of black garlic (solid state fermentation) is made by using high temperature and high humidity, and it takes about 2-3 months to ferment.

Seen from the outside, this kind of black garlic is usually covered with skin, which is its obvious feature.

Of course, the term "fermentation" may not be accurate, because the temperature is too high (60-70 degrees), and there is little room for microorganisms to play. In fact, it is mainly catalyzed by biological enzymes and the chemical reaction of garlic components themselves.

Corresponding to solid fermentation is liquid fermentation, in which garlic is first mashed and then some water is added for fermentation.

In addition, there is black garlic produced by non-fermentation method, which has simple process and high efficiency.

For example, steam at a high temperature of 130 degrees 1 hour and bake at 80-90 degrees for several hours.

Why is black garlic delicious?

If you eat black garlic with your eyes closed, I'm afraid you really can't guess that it is garlic. How can it be delicious?

The color of black garlic comes from the Maillard reaction between sugar and amino acids at high temperature, which produces color components such as melanin. The higher the temperature, the faster and deeper the color transformation.

In addition, Maillard reaction also produced a series of very complex aromas, so black garlic tasted a little caramel.

There are two iconic components in garlic, one is volatile sulfide which provides spicy taste, and the other is garlic polysaccharide.

The content of garlic polysaccharide is the highest, which accounts for about 80% of the dry weight of garlic if water is removed.

In the fermentation process, a part of garlic polysaccharide was degraded and converted into fructose, glucose and sucrose, especially the fructose content increased obviously, so the taste was obviously sweet.

Protein was also partially degraded, releasing a variety of amino acids, bringing rich taste.

At the same time, due to the reduction of volatile sulfide, the spicy taste disappeared.

Efficacy of black garlic

The most "commendable" feature of black garlic is that it is antioxidant besides delicious.

The experimental data showed that compared with fresh garlic, the polyphenols in black garlic increased by 3-5 times, which was also brought by Maillard reaction, and its overall antioxidant capacity increased by more than 10 times.

Different kinds of garlic can be made into black garlic, and there is little difference in composition between single-headed garlic and common garlic cloves.

Moreover, it is not the fermented black garlic that is good. The black garlic produced by thermal processing is even more powerful in antioxidant capacity than the fermented black garlic.

Scientists used black garlic in vitro cell experiments or animal experiments, and found that it may have many effects such as regulating blood lipid, blood sugar, anti-inflammation and anti-tumor.

So far, however, the official institutions in China have not approved any health care products with black garlic as the main raw material.

In Europe and the United States, it has not obtained clear evidence of efficacy, but it has become a high-grade ingredient because of its "exotic color".

In short, black garlic is indeed a kind of food with nutritional value, which can be used to develop various black garlic products, but it will not bring you additional "health effects", let alone prevent and treat diseases.

The cost of black garlic is not high, and the retail price is about 20-40 yuan per catty. Those who have old people at home can remind them not to be fooled.