Black Garlic (Allium sativum)

Black Garlic (Allium sativum), a member of the Alliaceae family, is a popular vegetable used in traditional and modern medicine with the art of cooking. It has a strong aroma and a distinctive taste.

Black Garlic is obtained by keeping fresh garlic in an area where the temperature (60–90°C) and humidity (70–90) are regulated for a certain period of time.

In Asian countries such as Thailand, South Korea and Japan, people have been producing and using black oatmeal as a traditional food for centuries. In recent years, it has entered the global market. Black garlic is produced by fermenting the whole of fresh garlic at high humidity and temperature, which causes the garlic to turn black through a series of non-enzymatic melting.

Black garlic has many compounds with various high antioxidant properties:

• Amadori/Heyns compounds are formed during the Maillard reaction. Amadori/Heyns compounds are powerful antioxidants, and they are 40 to 100 times more found in black garlic than in fresh garlic.
• 5-hydroxymethylfurfural: This is also an antioxidant with some anti-inflammatory effects. Since 5-HMF is created under very high heat, when compared to white garlic, black garlic is present in more amounts than this beneficial ingredient.
• Organosulfur compounds: Dialyl sulphur, dialyl disulfide, dialyl trisulphide and dialyl tetrasulphur.
• Pyruvate: This is an important antioxidant and anti-inflammatory molecule of black garlic. Both reduce nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2, which prolong and concentrate inflammation.
• S-allylcysteine, tetrahydro-β-carbolines, N-fructosyl glutamate, N-fruktosyl arginine, Allixin, Selenium, N‐alpha-(1-deoxy-d-frutose-1-yl)-l‐arginine
• In addition, it also contains some alkaloids, polyphenols and flavonoids.It contains 2-linoleoyl-glycerol, which is a good anti-inflammatory molecule. It is known that the key supporters and signals of the inflammatory response reduce the levels of prostaglandin E2 and cytokine.

It is believed that black garlic and cholesterol can help lower and reduce the risk of cancer. S-allylistein helps to absorb allicin and metabolize it more easily This has been demonstrated by studies that this condition provides greater protection against infections.

In a study with rats with injected oxidative liver damage, black garlic was found to significantly reduce liver injury markers (AST, ALT, ALP, and LDH levels).