Sometimes housewives in the process of processing or pickling garlic observe a color change of the product, which causes some surprise or alarm, calling into question its further use. This article will examine the causes of pigmentation, its effect on product safety and possible ways to avoid this phenomenon.

Why does garlic turn green

The study of the problem of pigmentation of this vegetable began 60 years ago in the United States, when large companies in the food industry began to manufacture and market garlic mashed potatoes - a very popular product at that time. Some consignments of goods turned out to be green, so they were mistaken for marriage and disposed of at a loss. To somehow solve the problem, the manufacturers attracted scientists who helped to find out the main causes of pigmentation.

• region of growth;
• degree of maturity;
• storage features;
• the presence of damage;
• duration of heat treatment and method of preparation;
• “Neighborhood” with other brightly colored products.

During the cutting of garlic, a reaction occurs between the alliinase enzyme and the amino acid alliin, from which allicin, a natural antibiotic, is formed, and organic sulfates and sulfides are also released. It is these compounds that affect the pigmentation process. Color change when cutting the product under normal conditions does not occur - this is known to all housewives who use it in cooking.

Important! So that the vegetable does not change color, it must be stored correctly: in a dark, dry room, at a temperature of 18 to 25 ° C.

A vegetable can also change color, being on other products with a bright color - for example, if you cook a dish with spinach and add garlic to it, then most likely it will turn green due to the bright color of spinach, which will highlight the juice.Often, a purchased product is more prone to pigmentation than a home product. This is because the store shelves are full of Chinese garlic. A Chinese vegetable is no worse than that grown in the native region, but contains more alliin, which affects the intensity of the green tint. Also, another reason for the appearance of green pigment is that during the harvest period the garlic already has time to fully ripen, and when grown at home, it is harvested still immature.

During heat treatment

When frying, boiling or baking in the oven, the vegetable can also change color. This is due to the fact that it contains a fairly large amount of moisture - juice, which, when interacted with a hot frying pan or pan, oxidizes and can give a greenish tint. In the process of cooking, the decay of alliin can be accelerated, so that the vegetable turns green. Pigmentation is especially pronounced if the cooking process is delayed.

Did you know? China is the largest garlic exporter in the world.

When canning and pickling

Pickled or canned garlic is very popular, and many housewives harvest it for the winter, often finding green cloves among the selections.This situation may be caused by:

• violation of the integrity of the lobules, which happens when cleaning the shell with a knife;
• heat treatment with hot marinades;
• conservation in sour marinade;
• wrapping seals after sterilization;
• the use of overripe lobules;
• non-compliance with storage recommendations before pickling and canning.

Important! If raw garlic is stored in a refrigerator for a long time, then the concentration of alliin in it increases significantly.

Is green garlic dangerous

Those who are tormented by the question of the safety of greened cloves should not worry: they are absolutely safe for health. On the contrary, a color change indicates saturation with alliin, which is very useful. Therefore, it is not necessary to dispose of slices that have changed color during the heat treatment or pickling.

How to avoid greening

If for you the natural color of the vegetable is very important, and it is not very pleasant to use slices of an unnatural color, you should familiarize yourself with such subtleties of processing:

1. Pickle and preserve freshly picked, slightly ripened vegetables, as they contain the least amount of alliin.
2. Follow the recommendations for storing raw vegetables and seafood.
3. Slowing down of pigmentation is possible if before further heat treatment or marinating blanch slices for 2 minutes and then lower them into cold water.
4. Clean the casing by hand so as not to touch the slices.
5. If you plan to cook garlic, pre-grated or chopped, lightly fry it before cooking.
6. Marinating slices is best done in the cold way (cold marinades).
7. Serve a fresh product separately so that it does not react with other products.

Did you know? In India, in ancient times, garlic was used as a medicinal component, but it was not eaten because of the pungent odor.

Thus, garlic, which changes color during heat treatment, pickling or canning, is considered absolutely safe to eat. So that the slices do not change color, it is recommended to follow the basic rules for their preparation and storage.