2. Sulfide in black garlic is reduced, sugar is increased, and 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. Not only does it not smell of garlic, but it tastes sweet and waxy.
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 is its function?
How did the 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, which takes about 2-3 months of fermentation time.
From the outside, this kind of black garlic is usually skinned, which is its obvious feature.
Of course, the word "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 the chemical reaction between biological enzymes and garlic components themselves.
Corresponding to solid fermentation is liquid fermentation, in which garlic is mashed first, 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, 130 degrees steaming 1 hour, and then baking 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 Maillard reaction between sugar and amino acid at high temperature, which produces melanin and other color components. The higher the temperature, the faster and deeper the color change.
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 that provides spicy taste, and the other is garlic polysaccharide.
Garlic has the highest polysaccharide content, and the water removed accounts for about 80% of the dry weight of garlic.
In the fermentation process, a part of garlic polysaccharide is degraded and converted into fructose, glucose and sucrose, especially the fructose content is obviously increased, so the taste is obviously sweet.
Protein was also partially degraded, releasing a variety of amino acids, which brought rich taste.
At the same time, due to the reduction of volatile sulfide, the spicy taste disappears.
Efficacy of black garlic
The most "commendable" feature of black garlic is that it is not only delicious, but also antioxidant.
The experimental data showed that compared with fresh garlic, the polyphenols in black garlic increased by 3-5 times, which was also caused 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 between single garlic and common garlic cloves.
And it's not as good as fermented black garlic. Black garlic processed by heat has stronger antioxidant capacity than fermented black garlic.
Scientists use black garlic to carry out in vitro cell experiments or animal experiments, and find that it may have many effects such as regulating blood lipid, blood sugar, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor.
But so far, the official institutions in China have not approved any health products with black garlic as the main raw material.
In Europe and America, there is no clear evidence of efficacy, but it has become a high-grade ingredient because of its "strange color".
In a word, black garlic is indeed a nutritious food, which can be used to develop various black garlic products, but it will not bring you additional "health care 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. If there are old people at home, you can remind them not to be fooled.