You may have heard of the magical qualities of black garlic...wait, BLACK garlic? Yup, black garlic is a thing and you’ll learn why it’s so magical in the first place.
What Exactly is Black Garlic?
Black garlic happens when bulbs of garlic are fermented between 60-90°C under high humidity for one month or more. This is when the garlic cloves take on a rich deep brown colour. The garlic undergoes the Maillard reaction, the same reaction that causes your bread to change colour in the toaster. This occurs when amino acids and sugars react in certain foods to give it a browned colour and distinctive flavour (3). The prolonged exposure to heat and humidity transforms the garlic on a molecular level and increases its antioxidant levels (1, 2). The final result is less pungent than fresh garlic, taking on a more sweet flavour and chewy texture (1). Not only is it highly regarded for its unique flavour, but its health benefits are greatly enhanced.
The Benefits of Black Garlic
Fresh garlic already offers such health benefits as anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular improvements, antidiabetes, and much more. Researchers at the First Hospital of Jilin University in China concluded that when patients with coronary heart disease consumed black garlic for one month, heart function increased and their diagnosis of heart failure decreased (2). In a more recent study, the enhanced antioxidant levels of black garlic were associated with anticancer effects when breast cancer cells were exposed to black garlic extract in a laboratory setting (4). Given all these amazing benefits of black garlic, you can see why we are obsessed with it here at True NOSH!
Why True NOSH Uses Black Garlic
Along with True NOSH’s commitment to creating products that are low in sugar and high in fibre to benefit people living with diabetes, we’re also committed to offering products that are heart-healthy. Along with our low-sodium formulation of our Asian-inspired sauté sauces, we are excited about the added cardiovascular benefits of the black garlic that we use in our products. Furthermore, due to the sweet flavour profile of the black garlic, this allows us to enhance the flavour of our sauces without any added sugar!
Have you tried our Black Garlic sauce series yet? Check them out on our website!
Written by: Jacey Gowler
Edited by: Ev Wong
References
- Kimura, S., Tung, Y., Pan, M., Su, N., Lai, Y., & Cheng, K. (2017). Black garlic: A critical review of its production, bioactivity, and application. Yàowu shi͡p︡in Fenxi, 25(1), 62-70. doi:10.1016/j.jfda.2016.11.003
- Liu, J., Zhang, G., Cong, X., & Wen, C. (2018). Black garlic improves heart function in patients with coronary heart disease by improving circulating antioxidant levels. Frontiers in Physiology, 9, 1435. doi:10.3389/fphys.2018.01435
- Maillard Reaction. (2020, August 3). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maillard_reaction
- Nurafiani, W. & Widiyanto, S. (2020). Cytotoxic effects and apoptosis of solo black garlic (allium sativum L.) extract on T47D breast cancer cell line. AIP Conference Proceedings, 2260(1) doi:10.1063/5.0015736