Why does garlic turn blue in marinade? What to do so that the garlic does not turn blue: tips and tricks

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 22:37

Canning is a separate kind of culinary art. Harvesting vegetables for future use is a complex and responsible process. Often, as they prepare food for the winter, housewives encounter problems, the most common of which is the acquisition of garlic in a blue-green vinegar marinade. How can this phenomenon be explained from a chemical point of view? How to use this knowledge to prevent the unpleasant process of coloring a vegetable? Find out in our article!

Why garlic turns blue when canned: historical background

The mass industrial processing of garlic, which arose in American factories in the 50s of the last century, added to the concerns of biochemists. The fact is that the standard scheme for turning a garlic crop into canned puree (chopping - mixing with s alt and vinegar - packaging in containers - sterilization and rolling) once failed: huge volumes of the finished product weredecommissioned and not allowed for sale as a result of his turning blue.

A gastronomic incident set off a series of biochemical research events in which scientists have figured out why garlic turns blue in a marinade.

Biochemists claim…

The scientific justification for blue garlic in vinegar marinade is as follows: the color transformations of garlic during canning are due to the release of essential oil components and enzymes as a result of the destruction of vegetable tissue. The representative of the latter, alinase, leads to the decomposition of alliin, which entails the process of dividing essential oils into sulfates and sulfides.

Organic compounds form:

• thiol, ammonia and pyruvic acid - as a result, garlic acquires an unpleasant odor;
• pigments that give garlic a blue-green color.

What does this mean for the average cook?

Prevent blue garlic in marinade

Tried a dozen recipes for preserving tomatoes for the winter, and the garlic is still turning blue? The main reasons for this phenomenon are not hidden in the cooking recipe at all - the coloring process is due to factors such as the maturity of the product and the conditions in which the garlic was grown and stored.

An important factor is the conditions in which it was heat treated.

No more questions about why garlic turns bluemarinated: canning secrets

So, the release of the blue-green pigment is due to a slightly acidic environment in which amino acids are present. Our culinary goal is to reduce the effects of alliin. What actions should be taken so that the garlic does not turn blue?

1. Give preference to garlic, the origin of which is the northern latitudes. The fact is that vegetables grown in the southern latitudes are characterized by a high content of allyl sulfide, an enzyme responsible for the intense color of garlic.
2. If you are wondering why garlic turns blue when canned, then it is likely that when choosing products for preparing winter preparations, you chose not young and freshly picked, but old and stale garlic. And since the latter is characterized by a high concentration of alliin, its pigmentation is stronger than the coloring of a fresh vegetable.
3. Preventing garlic from turning blue will allow it to be stored in the right conditions. So, the vegetable must be stored at room temperature (from 20 to 25 degrees) - following this rule, you can prevent the active accumulation of alliin, which occurs during storage at low temperatures (1-5 degrees Celsius).
4. However, it is important to note that the preservation should be stored at low temperatures - this way the garlic will definitely not turn blue by the time it needs to be opened.
5. The intensity of alliin pigmentation depends on the temperature at which vegetables are pickled or preserved. So thatto preserve the pleasant appearance of pickles, cooks recommend preparing food for the winter in a cold way.
6. When peeling the heads of garlic, try to be as careful as possible: the less damage to the surface of the vegetable, the less risk you end up with blue-green garlic.

Universal advice that will let you forget about the question: "Why does the garlic turn blue in the marinade?"

Cookers recommend: no matter what conditions garlic was grown, stored or processed in, soaking in cold water for three hours prevents any kind of garlic from turning blue!

Can blue garlic be eaten

Winter evening, the whole family sits down at the table, dad opens a can of canned tomatoes, carefully prepared in the summer season … and here's the disaster! Blue garlic spoiled not only the appearance of beautiful red tomatoes, but also the appetite of the participants in the meal. Housewives instantly have a number of questions: “Why does garlic turn blue when canning tomatoes?” and “Is it dangerous to eat it?”

Blue garlic is safe

Indeed, blue garlic "does not hold attractiveness." However, scientists have found that alliin is a harmless substance, therefore, the use of a pigmented product will not negatively affect human he alth. Moreover, in the southern countries, where garlic grows with a high concentration of the coloring enzyme, no one pays attention to the coloring of the vegetable and the question of whygarlic turns blue in the marinade, does not set.

Thus, it is absolutely safe to eat blue garlic! Enjoy the taste first, not the look.

How to pickle garlic properly

In the culinary world, there are countless recipes for preserving tomatoes for the winter with garlic, but jars of garlic marinated according to the classic recipe will bring real benefits in the midst of a fierce winter.

The first step is to prepare all the ingredients:

• 11 large garlic heads;
• a few chili peppers;
• black pepper (peas);
• 2-3 bay leaves;
• s alt, sugar, spices and vinegar (to taste).

The cooking process is extremely easy!

1. Prepare garlic and pepper pods: peel, rinse thoroughly. Cut the pepper.
2. 700 ml of water dilute with a tablespoon of vinegar, add 5-10 black peppercorns, a couple of bay leaves, 30 g each of s alt and sugar, spices - bring the mixture to a boil and let cool.
3. Separately boil 2 liters of water, which must be s alted with two tablespoons of s alt. Pour over the garlic.
4. Put garlic and pepper slices into prepared jars. Pour marinade over.

Leave jars tightly closed with lids upside down until they are completely cool.

You can get the dish on the table after 2 weeks of storage in a cool place. Bon appetit! As noted above, the cooking recipe does not have a big effect on the process of pigmentation of garlic, however, pickling in a cold way helps to avoid blueing.