So that the garlic does not darken. Why Garlic Turns Blue When Canned

I salted the lard yesterday, and today the garlic turned green on it, this was not the case before, and what should I do - throw it away or is it normal?

There are a lot of questions like this. Consider which garlic turns green and why. And most importantly, is it dangerous? Will the products in which the garlic turn green be spoiled.

Ukraine has long been famous for the abundance of myths. This type of "folklore" has not bypassed the attention of the so-called Chinese garlic. Not the one whose second name is fragrant onion, scientifically - Allium chinens, with heads like small onion sets, but the one that has flooded today all the shops of Ukraine and a significant part of the planet. For China now controls about 77% of the world's exports of this spicy plant.

Why is he green

The main criticism and ground for myths about Chinese garlic was its ability to turn green and even turn blue. From here came the myths about the use of "chemistry" or GMOs, which Ukrainians are paranoidly afraid of. About GMOs, you can "please" those who did not study biology at school. By the end of 2014, not a single GM species of this plant has been created on planet Earth.

This is a fairly stable and healthy crop with a very wide variety of varieties, able to protect itself from most diseases and insects without additional measures to protect those grafted with GM. And from the rest of the misfortunes, there are more familiar and "safe", according to opponents of GMOs, fungicides and insecticides.

Actually the problem of pigmentation of this useful plant during its processing, it arose far from Ukraine. Back in the 50s of the last century in the United States, garlic began to be processed on an industrial scale in canned puree. The process was extremely simple. The heads and teeth were cleaned and ground, then acetic acid and salt were added to the paste, sealed in jars and pasteurized.

However, the contents in some jars were turning blue. green color and therefore, because of the non-marketable appearance, such products went into marriage. This effect laid the foundation for research, which, of course, the Ukrainian consumer does not know and does not want to know, because it is much easier to stick a GMO label, “chemistry”, or even worse, “the Chinese are poisoning us” on a normal product.

At present, the following scientific data have been obtained. It is known that when garlic tissue is damaged, its components such as enzymes and essential oils are released and mixed. Under the influence of an enzyme called alinase, the decomposition of alliin, a substance containing sulfur and nitrogen (the full scientific name is allyl sulfide cysteine ​​sulfoxide), is stimulated.

The result of the reaction are partially decomposed essential oils - organic derivatives of sulfides and sulfates. Some of these compounds decompose into pyruvic acid, ammonia and thiol. The other part, having reacted with amino acids, forms very strong pigments, which create a color from green to blue.

Obviously, there is a certain limit in terms of the ratio of the amount of the alinase enzyme, on the one hand, and alliin with other sulfur-containing compounds, on the other. If not all of them decompose into pyruvic acid, ammonia and thiol, then as a result such a paste becomes green.

Moreover, the boundary of these concentrations is so thin that, in terms of the degree of pigmentation, plants, even from neighboring beds, can behave completely differently.

This reaction is more active in the presence of amino acids, at a temperature of +40 - 80 ° C in a slightly acidic environment. However, the synthesis of the pigment practically does not depend on the variety, the presence of metals or their salts, as well as the amount of various microelements in the composition of the plant.

To the greatest extent, the tendency to pigmentation depends on the degree of maturity, growing conditions and storage of garlic.

It has long been known that the most useful garlic grown in a warm climate. Under these conditions, the plant matures completely. However, these plants contain the largest number alliin and other sulfur-containing compounds that are considered natural substitutes antibiotics. They also give intense pigmentation during processing.

That is why southern garlic, in particular, Chinese, turns green or blue almost always, unlike its northern counterpart.

As a result, a conclusion that contradicts Ukrainian mythology: garlic grown in southern countries, including China or Uzbekistan, almost always turns green, but it contains more useful substances than Russian or Ukrainian. Interestingly, plants grown in Spain have the same pigmentation ability.

What to do

The first is not to fantasize and not listen to myths. And remember that the formula "leaves must be green, and teeth must be white, and vice versa cannot be" - this is just a stereotype of aesthetic perception. Garlic that can turn green is not a poison and it is even more useful than ordinary - unripe.

But if you want to avoid this effect, it should be remembered that the substances responsible for pigmentation are less in freshly harvested and young heads and more in mature ones. During storage, the amount of these substances increases.

More of them accumulate during cold - from +1 to +5 ° C storage and much less at room temperature. Moreover, their number can even decrease when the storage temperature changes from cold to room mode.

The pigmentation reaction is significantly slowed down at low temperatures, which speaks in favor of storage already finished products with garlic of southern origin in the refrigerator or in a cold cellar. As a result of a series of experiments, it was found that almost any variety of any origin turns green, if appropriate conditions are created for it.

For example, when pickling or salting, peeled teeth with mechanical damage and cuts turn green, from a long-harvested and "ripened" crop during drying, cooked by a hot method and cooled for a long time under a blanket.

In some cases, it is possible to slow down, or even completely eliminate pigmentation, by preliminary blanching such teeth in hot water for 3 minutes.

In recipes for pickling and salting, it is often written "to take young freshly picked garlic" - this is one of the conditions for it not to turn green. In Ukraine, young, recently harvested garlic has always been used for pickling and pickling, and it was used mainly for harvesting by the cold method.

They cleaned them with their hands so as not to damage the teeth and used them as a whole when pickling and pickling other vegetables, such as cucumbers. The teeth, cut into slices with a knife, could turn blue in both cucumbers and tomatoes during the hot method of preservation in a slightly acidic marinade, and especially during room storage.

If ground, crushed or chopped garlic turns green in hot dishes, then temperature and time factors play a role here. The longer he stays in these dishes, the more likely he is to turn green. In this case, it makes sense to use dried or lightly fried garlic. Do not forget the folk wisdom that says that garlic is served separately.

For example, in the Slavic traditional cuisine they rub a bread crust or serve something like a sandwich in the form of a loaf of bread, poured over sunflower oil with teeth laid on top, cut into thin slices. AT Ukrainian cuisine donuts and a separate container with garlic dressing are served.

The same factors also work when cooking mushrooms, where, in addition, their complex protein composition plays a significant role. Greened garlic in mushrooms especially frightens suspicious Russians. However, this does not correlate in any way with their toxicity.

In order to avoid such a "terrible" pigmentation, it is recommended to take obviously young garlic, add it only with a cold harvesting method, or season the dish with it immediately before serving.

Now about the fat. There are times when even ordinary Russian garlic with lard turns green. In this case, the fat should be stuffed with coarsely chopped cloves and stored in the cold. At low temperatures, pigmentation is much slower.

And once again about the "danger" of green garlic.

In hotter regions of the planet, this phenomenon is observed much more often than in Ukraine, which encountered it only when it became too lazy to grow its own, and it switched to imported, cultivated in southern countries.

However, in none of these countries in the entire history of its consumption, not a single case of poisoning with green garlic was recorded. So that Bon appetit and ignore the somewhat psychedelic look of such a product.

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Russia has long been famous for its abundance of myths. This type of "folklore" did not bypass its attention and the so-called. Not the one whose second name is fragrant onion, scientifically - Allium chinens, with heads like small onion sets, but the one that has flooded today all the stores in Russia and a significant part of the planet. For China now controls about 77% of the world's exports of this spicy plant.

However, all over the world the name - "Chinese selection garlic" has taken root. For example, in Spain, the leading country in Europe for the production of this spicy product, 15-20% of the area is allocated for the Chinese variety. Under the Spanish zoned variety of the same Chinese selection, called "white variety" - about 20-25%, and under the local dark purple, called "Morado", more than half of all garlic plantations are allocated.

What kind of rumors and gossip does not go about the Chinese variety. A Russian man in the street, having once bought Chinese sneakers at a bargain price, made in China at specifications Russian entrepreneur, bears resentment for everything produced in this country. At the same time, he forgets the simple truth that cheap quality cannot be, and half of the planet uses Chinese goods and products without any complaints. For all these goods comply with the strictest international standards (which is confirmed by laboratory research), or ... the technical specifications of the customer, which are dictated by the demand of the same Russian offended layman.

Why is he green?

The main criticism and ground for myths about Chinese garlic was its ability to turn green and even turn blue. From here came the myths about the use of "chemistry" or GMOs, which Russians are paranoidly afraid of. About GMOs, you can "please" those who did not study biology at school. By the end of 2014, not a single GM species of this plant has been created on planet Earth. This is a fairly stable and healthy crop with a very wide variety of varieties, able to protect itself from most diseases and insects without additional measures to protect those grafted with GM. And from the rest of the misfortunes, there are more familiar and "safe", according to opponents of GMOs, fungicides and insecticides.

In fact, the problem of pigmentation of this useful plant during its processing did not arise in Russia. Back in the 50s of the last century in the United States, garlic began to be processed on an industrial scale into canned puree. The process was extremely simple. The heads and teeth were cleaned and ground, then acetic acid and salt were added to the paste, sealed in jars and pasteurized. However, the contents in some banks acquired a blue-green color, and therefore, due to the non-marketable appearance, such products went into marriage. This effect laid the foundation for research, which, of course, the Russian consumer does not know and does not want to know, because it is much easier to stick a GMO label, “chemistry”, or even worse, “the Chinese are poisoning us” on a normal product.

At present, the following scientific data have been obtained. It is known that when garlic tissue is damaged, its components such as enzymes and essential oils are released and mixed. Under the influence of an enzyme called alinase, the decomposition of alliin, a substance containing sulfur and nitrogen (the full scientific name is allyl sulfide cysteine ​​sulfoxide), is stimulated. The result of the reaction are partially decomposed essential oils - organic derivatives of sulfides and sulfates. Some of these compounds decompose into pyruvic acid, ammonia and thiol. The other part, having reacted with amino acids, forms very strong pigments, which create a color from green to blue.

Obviously, there is a certain limit in terms of the ratio of the amount of the alinase enzyme, on the one hand, and alliin with other sulfur-containing compounds, on the other. If not all of them decompose into pyruvic acid, ammonia and thiol, then as a result such a paste becomes green. Moreover, the boundary of these concentrations is so thin that, in terms of the degree of pigmentation, plants, even from neighboring beds, can behave in completely different ways. This reaction is more active in the presence of amino acids, at a temperature of +40-80 °C in a slightly acidic environment. However, the synthesis of the pigment practically does not depend on the variety, the presence of metals or their salts, as well as the amount of various microelements in the composition of the plant. To the greatest extent, the tendency to pigmentation depends on the degree of maturity, growing conditions and storage of garlic.

It has long been known that the most useful garlic grown in a warm climate. Under these conditions, the plant matures completely. However, it is these plants that contain the largest amount of alliin and other sulfur-containing compounds, which are considered natural substitutes for antibiotics. They also give intense pigmentation during processing. That is why southern garlic, in particular, Chinese, turns green or blue almost always, unlike its northern counterpart. It's just that in our latitudes it does not have time to ripen, because its homeland is India, and in the cool Central Russian climate it does not form very many such substances. As a result, a conclusion that contradicts Russian mythology: garlic grown in southern countries, including China or Uzbekistan, almost always turns green, but it contains more useful substances than ... Russian. Interestingly, plants grown in Spain have the same pigmentation ability.

What to do?

The first is not to fantasize and not listen to myths. And remember that the formula “leaves must be green and teeth white, and vice versa cannot be” is just a stereotype of aesthetic perception. Garlic that can turn green is not a poison, and it is even more useful than ordinary ... unripe. But if you want to avoid this effect, it should be remembered that the substances responsible for pigmentation are less in freshly harvested and young heads and more in mature ones. During storage, the amount of these substances increases. More of them accumulate during cold - from +1 to +5 ° C storage and much less at room temperature. Moreover, their number can even decrease when the storage temperature changes from cold to room mode.

The reaction of pigmentation slows down significantly at low temperatures, which speaks in favor of storing ready-made products with garlic of southern origin in the refrigerator or in a cold cellar. As a result of a series of experiments, it was found that almost any variety of any origin turns green, if appropriate conditions are created for it. For example, when pickling or salting, peeled teeth with mechanical damage and cuts turn green, from a long-harvested and “ripened” crop during drying, cooked by a hot method and cooled for a long time under a blanket. In some cases, it is possible to slow down, or even completely eliminate pigmentation, by preliminary blanching such teeth in hot water for 3 minutes.

Pickling and salting recipes often say “take young freshly picked garlic” - this is one of the conditions for it not to turn green. In Russia, young, recently harvested garlic has always been used for pickling and pickling, and it was used mainly for harvesting by the cold method. They cleaned them with their hands so as not to damage the teeth and used them as a whole when pickling and pickling other vegetables, such as cucumbers. The teeth, cut into slices with a knife, could turn blue in both cucumbers and tomatoes during the hot method of preservation in a slightly acidic marinade, and especially during room storage.

If ground, crushed or chopped garlic turns green in hot dishes, then temperature and time factors play a role here. The longer he stays in these dishes, the more likely he is to turn green. In this case, it makes sense to use dried or lightly fried garlic. Do not forget the folk wisdom that says that garlic is served separately. For example, in Russian traditional cuisine they rub a bread crust or serve something like a sandwich in the form of a loaf of bread, poured with sunflower oil with cloves laid on top, cut into thin slices. In Ukrainian cuisine, donuts and a separate container with garlic dressing are served.

The same factors also work when cooking mushrooms, where, in addition, their complex protein composition plays a significant role. Greened garlic in mushrooms especially frightens suspicious Russians. However, this does not correlate in any way with their toxicity. In order to avoid such a “terrible” pigmentation, it is recommended to take obviously young garlic, add it only with a cold harvesting method, or fill the dish with it immediately before serving.

Now about the fat. There are times when even ordinary Russian garlic with lard turns green. In this case, the fat should be stuffed with coarsely chopped cloves and stored in the cold. At low temperatures, pigmentation is much slower.

And once again about the "danger" of green garlic. In hotter regions of the planet, this phenomenon is observed much more often than in Russia, which encountered it only when it became too lazy to grow its own, and it switched to imported, cultivated in southern countries. However, in none of these countries in the entire history of its consumption, not a single case of poisoning with green garlic was recorded. So bon appetit and ignore the somewhat psychedelic look of such a product.

Why does Chinese garlic turn green? It is known that when garlic tissue is damaged, its components such as enzymes and essential oils are released and mixed. Under the influence of an enzyme called alinase, the decomposition of alliin, a substance containing sulfur and nitrogen (the full scientific name is allyl sulfide cysteine ​​sulfoxide), is stimulated. The result of the reaction are partially decomposed essential oils - organic derivatives of sulfides and sulfates. Some of these compounds decompose into pyruvic acid, ammonia and thiol. The other part, having reacted with amino acids, forms very strong pigments, which create a color from green to blue. It is obvious that there is a certain limit in terms of the ratio of the amount of the enzyme alinase, on the one hand, and alliin with other sulfur-containing compounds, on the other. If not all of them decompose into pyruvic acid, ammonia and thiol, then as a result such a paste becomes green. Moreover, the boundary of these concentrations is so thin that, in terms of the degree of pigmentation, plants, even from neighboring beds, can behave in completely different ways. This reaction is more active in the presence of amino acids, at a temperature of +40–80 °C in a slightly acidic medium. However, the synthesis of the pigment practically does not depend on the variety, the presence of metals or their salts, as well as the amount of various microelements in the composition of the plant. To the greatest extent, the tendency to pigmentation depends on the degree of maturity, growing conditions and storage of garlic. It has long been known that the most useful garlic grown in a warm climate. Under these conditions, the plant matures completely. However, it is these plants that contain the largest amount of alliin and other sulfur-containing compounds, which are considered natural substitutes for antibiotics. They also give intense pigmentation during processing. That is why southern garlic, in particular, Chinese, turns green or blue almost always, unlike its northern counterpart. It's just that in our latitudes it does not have time to ripen, because its homeland is India, and in the cool Central Russian climate it does not form very many such substances. As a result, a conclusion that contradicts Russian mythology: garlic grown in southern countries, including China or Uzbekistan, almost always turns green, but it contains more useful substances than ... Russian. Interestingly, plants grown in Spain have the same pigmentation ability. What to do? The first is not to fantasize and not listen to myths. And remember that the formula “leaves should be green, and teeth should be white, and vice versa cannot be” is just a stereotype of aesthetic perception. Garlic that can turn green is not a poison, and it is even more useful than ordinary ... unripe. But if you want to avoid this effect, it should be remembered that the substances responsible for pigmentation are less in freshly harvested and young heads and more in mature ones. During storage, the amount of these substances increases. More of them accumulate during cold - from +1 to +5 ° C storage and much less at room temperature. Moreover, their number can even decrease when the storage temperature changes from cold to room mode. The reaction of pigmentation slows down significantly at low temperatures, which speaks in favor of storing ready-made products with garlic of southern origin in the refrigerator or in a cold cellar. As a result of a series of experiments, it was found that almost any variety of any origin turns green, if appropriate conditions are created for it. For example, when pickling or salting, peeled teeth with mechanical damage and cuts turn green, from a long-harvested and “ripened” crop during drying, cooked by a hot method and cooled for a long time under a blanket. In some cases, it is possible to slow down, or even completely eliminate pigmentation, by preliminary blanching such teeth in hot water for 3 minutes. In recipes for pickling and salting, they often write "take young freshly picked garlic" - this is one of the conditions for it not to turn green. In Russia, young, recently harvested garlic has always been used for pickling and pickling, and it was used mainly for harvesting by the cold method. They cleaned them with their hands so as not to damage the teeth and used them as a whole when pickling and pickling other vegetables, such as cucumbers. The teeth, cut into slices with a knife, could turn blue in both cucumbers and tomatoes during the hot method of preservation in a slightly acidic marinade, and especially during room storage. If ground, crushed or chopped garlic turns green in hot dishes, then temperature and time factors play a role here. The longer he stays in these dishes, the more likely he is to turn green. In this case, it makes sense to use dried or lightly fried garlic. Do not forget the folk wisdom that says that garlic is served separately. For example, in Russian traditional cuisine they rub a bread crust or serve something like a sandwich in the form of a loaf of bread, poured with sunflower oil with cloves laid on top, cut into thin slices. In Ukrainian cuisine, donuts and a separate container with garlic dressing are served. The same factors also work when cooking mushrooms, where, in addition, their complex protein composition plays a significant role. Greened garlic in mushrooms especially frightens suspicious Russians. However, this does not correlate in any way with their toxicity. In order to avoid such a “terrible” pigmentation, it is recommended to take obviously young garlic, add it only with a cold harvesting method, or fill the dish with it immediately before serving. Now about the fat. There are times when even ordinary Russian garlic with lard turns green. In this case, the fat should be stuffed with coarsely chopped cloves and stored in the cold. At low temperatures, pigmentation is much slower. And once again about the "danger" of green garlic. In hotter regions of the planet, this phenomenon is observed much more often than in Russia, which encountered it only when it became too lazy to grow its own, and it switched to imported, cultivated in southern countries. However, in none of these countries in the entire history of its consumption, not a single case of poisoning with green garlic was recorded.

THEORY
To date, it has been found that the destruction of garlic tissues releases components essential oil and enzymes. Under the action of the amino acids of the allinase enzyme, the decomposition reaction of sulfur-nitrogen-containing alliin (allyl sulfide cysteine ​​sulfoxide) begins. As a result, essential oil components are formed - organic sulfates and sulfides, some of which, in turn, decompose to ammonia and pyruvic acid, as well as thiols with bad smell, and the other part, reacting with the amino acids of garlic, forms pigments that create green, blue-green or blue staining of tissues.
Determined that:
- The reaction is more intense in a slightly acidic environment, at temperatures from 40-80C and in the presence of amino acids.
- The formation of pigments and color intensity almost does not depend on the variety of garlic, but depends on the growing conditions, the degree of ripeness of the garlic before harvesting, and the storage conditions before processing:
- Garlic grown in warm climates contains more alliin and sulfur-containing compounds than northern garlic.
- Freshly harvested young garlic contains less alliin and sulfur-containing compounds than fully ripe ones.
- The content of alliin increases during storage of garlic. More alliin accumulates during cold storage (at a temperature of +1, +5 C) than during warm storage (+20, +25 C). Moreover, it can even decrease when garlic is transferred from cold to warm.
It was also found that the trace elements contained in garlic, including a significant amount of iron, aluminum, zinc, copper, manganese and chromium, do not affect the course of the process and the color intensity.
Sources and links.
1. Encyclopedia medicinal plants. - M.: House of SMEs. 1997, T.A. Goncharova.
2. Pharmacognosy. - M., Medicine, 2002, Muravyova D.A., Samylina I.A. Yakovlev G.P.
3. Allium discoloration: Precursors involved in Onion Pinking and Garlic Greening. http://www.rabimusah.com/pdfs/Allium%20Discoloration.pdf
4. Factors Governing the Greening of Garlic Puree http://www.garlicworld.co.uk/flavour/greening/index.html
5. Thousands of them ...

PRACTICE
As you know, practice is the criterion of truth. All of the above illustrates the simplest experience, carried out by me on 3 varieties of garlic that are most common with us:


homemade garlic grown in the Moscow region in the winter way


young garlic of unknown origin


Chinese garlic

I passed the garlic cloves through the garlic press separately. 1 tsp I mixed the resulting puree with 1 tbsp. hot solution of the following composition: 100 ml of water, a pinch of unrefined rock salt, 2 tablets of glycine, 30 ml of 9% table vinegar. The solution was heated to 40C.
Part of the test portions was placed in a heated thermostat (ordinary yogurt maker), part was placed in the refrigerator.

The reaction in the heat goes on as usual, the garlic from the refrigerator remains unchanged.

It's been 5 hours.


The reaction in the heat has already ended, and the mashed potatoes that stood in the refrigerator did not change color. Comparison results in the top photo.
The photo is not shown, but by the morning the puree, taken out of the refrigerator and left at room temperature, also turned green.

IT'S TIME TO MAKE CONCLUSIONS

The numbers in the photo are:
1. Garlic near Moscow
2. Young garlic
3.Chinese garlic
4.Chinese garlic with metal shavings
It can be seen that the Moscow region garlic turned green less than its Chinese counterpart, and that the young garlic is also lighter than its mature Chinese counterpart. As well as the fact that no sulfates / sulfides of metals are formed in a solution of weak acetic acid and do not affect the color.
And all these dances with tambourines do not contradict scientific research.

What does all this mean when translated into normal language, and how can it be used in our daily life.
And that means that any garlic turns green or blue if it is not handled correctly:

IF turns green pickled or salted garlic An acidic environment and temperature work here - they pickled ripe and aged garlic with peeled slices that have cuts, or in a hot way, and even wrapping them up for the night.

EXIT: Compliance with the technology of fermentation and pickling. Our Central Russian climate does not contribute to the full ripening of garlic. Harvest it before the full maturity stage, as a rule, it "reaches" the condition during drying. It has not yet had time to fully collect alliin and contains quite a lot of sugar, little protein and essential oil. And our grandmothers, who grew garlic in the country or in the village, are well aware of this. Therefore, only young, not yet ripe garlic was salted or pickled, and only in a cold way. By the way, it's just tastier.


Exactly the same fresh young garlic directly from the garden was used for pickling / pickling cucumbers, peeling the slices with your hands so as not to damage the garlic. Sliced ​​or cut with a knife, garlic will successfully turn blue in cucumbers / tomatoes. Especially if you store jars at room temperature.

IF crushed or chopped garlic turns green in hot dishes - in fried potatoes, jelly, or rich broth. The factor of time and temperature works here. The sooner we add crushed garlic to a hot dish before serving, the more likely it is to turn green.

EXIT: Use dried garlic or roast it first. For raw garlic exists and lives folk wisdom: garlic is served separately. For example, we rub a crust with cut garlic rye bread or thinly sliced ​​garlic slices are placed on bread, sprinkled with vegetable oil. AT Ukrainian tradition dunk donuts in garlic dressing.

- IF garlic turns green while cooking mushrooms- The factor of time and temperature works here, and in addition, the complex protein composition of mushrooms and their decoction. And as we have now found out, green garlic does not mean that mushrooms are poisonous.

EXIT: Put garlic in the cold salting method or season boiled, salted or pickled mushrooms with garlic before serving.

- IF garlic turns green in the process of salting fat- This is where the time factor comes in. room temperature at the beginning of exposure, well, additional proteins.

EXIT: Use coarsely chopped garlic and stuff fat with it, put it in the cold. The greening reaction will be slower.

And the last.
There are no scientific studies on the toxicity of green garlic, and no cases of poisoning with green garlic have been recorded.
But, I think, its psychedelic appearance will only arouse appetite among supporters of molecular experiments and those who like to cook and color funny nyams.

I hope the experiments and information were useful. :)

Didn't find your case? Do you know any other way out? Share right here.

Why does pickled garlic turn blue?

usually purchased garlic, which is imported from China, turns blue. There is a lot of copper in the soil and when it comes into contact with acid, it acquires a green tint. Either use less vinegar or use your own garlic.

But how many times noticed the color of garlic does not affect taste qualities pickled garlic.

Sometimes pickled garlic, when canned, has a bluish or purple color, and the one bought from the farmer or from summer residents does not take on this color, but always remains white. Apparently the whole thing is in fertilizers or the composition of the soil on which the garlic grew.

I have never seen my own garden-grown garlic turn blue. He is always white and smart, even if he stays all winter. And you eat it with great pleasure. And it doesn’t matter under what covers it was rolled up, whether it was in cucumbers or separately, how much vinegar, sugar and salt were added to the marinade. All these reasons do not cause the garlic to turn blue.

But the purchased garlic really turns blue, and there can be only one reason - the cultivation technology. Such garlic is larger, often not at all sharp, obviously it could not do without special chemical fertilizers and additives. Perhaps this is copper, which is contained in many fertilizers that prevent the appearance of fungal diseases. This option seems very likely. But in this case, such garlic is not at all safe.

This color is due to the composition of garlic. Garlic contains FLAVINS, these are organic compounds that, when heated, enter into a chemical reaction with the material in which they are located. Usually it's copper. At the same time, this does not affect the taste of garlic, there is no harm to health. But since the intense blue color is unusual for garlic, hostesses may be frightened.

This usually happens with imported garlic, then you should be wary, because it may contain nitrates and other far from useful compounds, for pickling it is better to buy domestic garlic, from grandmothers in the market or from the dacha.

Not every garlic turns blue when pickled, more often purchased foreign garlic changes color. blue garlic harmless to eat. Blue colour appears at high temperatures and when garlic comes into contact with copper lids. The color is more gray than the blue of pickled garlic.

No one can give an exact answer. Some say that only the Chinese variety of garlic turns blue. If you take ours on the market, then everything will be fine. Others believe that the color change occurs as a result of a chemical reaction that occurs due to the combination of garlic with acetic acid. And there is also an opinion that the reason is in the sunlight and that you need to put the jars in a dark place immediately after marinating. From myself I can say that I tried to immediately hide the jars in a dark closet. The garlic still changed color, but much less.

Pickled garlic turns blue, because vinegar is used to prepare the marinade, and this is an acidic environment and more heat, i.e. poured hot and pickled ripe garlic peeled with slices. I remember exactly that my grandmother, who grew garlic herself in the country for pickling and pickling, used only young unripe garlic and only in a cold way. FROM young garlic the top film was removed and pickled with heads, the garlic remained white.

• Why does garlic turn blue

  I only have once blued garlic in the marinade(not that it has become completely blue, but it has acquired such a suspicious bluish tint), and I preserve it with my garlic grown on my site. So not only Chinese garlic can turn blue. There is an opinion that garlic turns blue from copper acetate salts, that is, garlic, which contains a lot of copper, turns blue. And this already depends on the cultivation technology.

  There is an opinion that garlic turns blue if it is poured with boiling marinade, perhaps this is so, since lately I have only been pouring hot marinades.

  Another reason for turning blue garlic is seen in use iodized salt. But in any case, because the garlic turned blue, it did not become poisonous, so it can be eaten.

Most likely it is blue from the fact that the essence of the marinade is in contact with iron lid banks and causes a reaction from which changes its natural color pickled garlic, such garlic is not dangerous for health, but its appearance is certainly not important.

Pickled garlic turns blue when the liquid in the canning jar comes into contact or has come into contact with the iron of the lid. Iron oxide reacts with garlic, which makes the latter turn blue.

Garlic pre-soaked before canning cold water about 3 hours should not turn blue under any circumstances.