Physicochemical Characteristics of Black Garlic after Different Thermal Processing Steps

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Biochemistry
• Thermal Processing

Background:

• Black garlic (BG) is produced through controlled thermal processing of fresh garlic (FG).
• Understanding the physicochemical transformations during BG production is crucial for quality control and product development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of different thermal processing steps on the physicochemical properties of black garlic.
• To elucidate the changes in key compounds such as sugars, amino acids, and minerals during black garlic production.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of fresh garlic (FG) and black garlic (BG) samples subjected to varying thermal treatments.
• Quantification of moisture content, pH, ash content, browning intensity, total minerals, free sugars, amino acids, thiosulfinates, and pyruvic acid.

Main Results:

• Thermal processing significantly decreased moisture and pH, while increasing ash content and browning intensity in BG compared to FG.
• Free sugar content increased 16-fold in BG, and total mineral content was significantly higher than in FG.
• Amino acid content initially increased then decreased, thiosulfinates decreased, and pyruvic acid showed an initial increase followed by a decrease during processing.

Conclusions:

• Thermal processing profoundly alters the physicochemical profile of garlic, leading to the characteristic properties of black garlic.
• The study provides valuable data on the biochemical changes occurring during black garlic formation, essential for optimizing production.