Garlic is not only a good vegetable, but also a good medicine, is a commonly used condiment in the daily diet, it is also processed and extracted into different forms of products, such as garlic powder, garlic oil, garlic dipping oil, garlic extract and so on.
Garlic is rich in nutritional value, the main functional component is propyl sulfide, is one of the organic sulfides, the content can reach 0.4% of the total weight of garlic, the specific components mainly include allicine and γ-glutamine-S-allylcysteine. Allicine is an organic sulfide found in whole garlic. When tissues are destroyed, allicin rapidly produces allicin, a bioactive ingredient known as a natural antibiotic, under the action of alliozyme.
Allicin is further decomposed into a variety of fat-soluble substances at room temperature, has a special pungent odor, and is the main ingredient in garlic oil and garlic dipping oil. γ-Glutamine-S-Allylcysteine is another important sulfur-containing compound that generates a series of water-soluble substances under the action of γ-glutamine transpeptidase, which has no special pungent odor and is the main component of garlic extract.
What is the role of garlic on the human body?
Garlic contains more than 30 kinds of sulfur-containing compounds, so it also has a variety of biological effects, including: antimicrobial effect, antioxidant effect, regulation of lipid metabolism, antithrombotic effect, tumor inhibition effect [1].
Allicin has inhibitory and killing effects on a variety of gram-negative and positive bacteria, and its effect is comparable to that of antibiotics. In addition, garlic also has a variety of antifungal, anti-parasitic and antiviral effects.
Garlic extract can scavenge reactive oxygen species such as hydroxyl radicals and superoxide anion radicals, inhibit the oxidation of low-density lipoproteins and the formation of lipid peroxides, and enhance the activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase, increase glutathione levels, and improve the body's antioxidant capacity.
On the one hand, garlic sulfide reduces serum cholesterol levels by inhibiting the absorption of intestinal cholesterol, promoting the conversion of cholesterol into bile acids, and accelerating cholesterol excretion; on the other hand, it can also reduce the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, inhibit the cholesterol deposition of blood vessel walls and the formation of atherosclerotic plaques.
Garlic powder not only promotes thrombolysis by activating plasminogen, but also prevents thrombosis by inhibiting thrombin production and platelet aggregation.
The organic sulfides in garlic, especially the fat-soluble components, have a strong inhibitory effect on tumors. A diet rich in garlic can reduce the risk of many cancers, such as stomach cancer, esophageal cancer, colon cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer and so on.
The health benefits of garlic are well known to women and children, but if not consumed properly, the health benefits will be greatly reduced, and may even bring harm to the body. The "Compendium of Materia Medica" points out that "garlic long-term food hurts the liver and damages the eyes". Long-term consumption of garlic in large quantities will damage the liver and damage the eyes. Patients with hepatitis should eat with caution, because some components of garlic can inhibit the secretion of intestinal digestive juices, affect food digestion, and thus aggravate many symptoms such as nausea in hepatitis patients. In addition, the volatile components of garlic can reduce the red blood cells and hemoglobin in the blood, which may cause anemia and is not conducive to the treatment of hepatitis [2].
In addition, you may have heard of an Internet celebrity snack - black garlic. It's easy to store and has a unique taste, so what's the difference between it and garlic?
How is black garlic made?
Black garlic is a deep-processed product made of fresh garlic and processed for a certain period of time under high temperature and high humidity environmental conditions. The reason why the white garlic cloves turn black is mainly due to the Merrard reaction that occurs at high temperature to reduce the sugars and amino compounds at high temperatures, and non-enzymatic browning occurs. Another processing method of garlic, vinegar-soaked garlic, is pickled at room temperature and produces some microorganisms and enzymes that are beneficial to the human body. Guangdong also has a golden yellow garlic product - fire garlic, smoked fire garlic and black garlic also have a long storage time, its garlic flavor is more "hot" than ordinary garlic, so it is famous and exported abroad.
Which is the higher edible value of black garlic or raw garlic?
In the processing of black garlic, some garlic polysaccharides are decomposed, and the fructose content rises significantly, so it will have a more obvious sweetness when eating. At the same time, due to the reduction of organic sulfides, the spicy taste of black garlic disappears, and it is not easy to cause breath troubles after eating. Studies have found that the content of polyphenols and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity of black garlic has been greatly improved, and its overall antioxidant capacity has been increased by more than 10 times. However, allicin with bactericidal effect is not tolerant to high heat, and the content of allicin in processed black garlic decreases, and its antibacterial and bactericidal ability is not as good as that of fresh garlic [3].
In addition to the instant black garlic head, there are also black garlic cakes, black garlic juice and other derivative products. Black garlic as a flavor snack is a good choice, but black garlic itself is not easy to digest, and the oligosaccharides and organic acids contained can stimulate intestinal peristalsis, so diarrhea or gastrointestinal digestive function is not suitable for people.
Black garlic and garlic have their own pros and cons, but they are only embellishments in the daily diet, and cannot replace staple foods, let alone treat diseases. If you want to improve your physical fitness, you must rely on a scientific diet structure, good living habits and reasonable physical exercise.
bibliography:
1. Ma Guansheng,Guo Xiaohui. What are the benefits of eating garlic often[J].Life and Disasters, 2021(04):40-42.
2. Zhao Dongke. Scientific consumption of garlic[J].Health care for the elderly, 2018(05):48.
3. Pan Yong. Does black garlic have health benefits? [J].Traditional Chinese Medicine Health Care,2021,7(03):54.