The garlic in my own house sprouts in a few days, but the garlic in the supermarket never sprouts, why is this? Is there any secret to keeping the garlic fresh in the supermarket? Can the sprouted garlic still be eaten?
Why does garlic sprout easily?
To figure out the middle of the door, we must first know, why does garlic sprout?
The reason why garlic sprouts easily is due to the action of growth hormone within the plant. Garlic contains a plant hormone called auxin, which promotes the germination and growth of garlic. During the storage of garlic, if the temperature, humidity and light intensity are high, the action of auxin will be stimulated, resulting in the germination of garlic.
Many people feel that food should not be eaten again after it has sprouted, and this needs to be treated differently. In general, garlic stored indoors in a cool and ventilated place can be eaten after sprouting. Garlic is not like potatoes, potatoes sprouted must not be eaten, as long as the sprouted garlic does not appear spoiled, the color and taste do not change, it will not affect the health of the body, there is no need to worry.
However, garlic that is exposed to sunlight for a long time will sprout and have a green surface, which indicates that harmful substances have been produced, so it is best not to eat it. In either case, if the garlic sprouts and is accompanied by rotten and moldy, it cannot be continued to eat, and the garlic at this time may be invaded by germs and deteriorate, and if too much intake may irritate the gastrointestinal tract, abdominal pain, bloating and other uncomfortable symptoms.
Garlic can be divided into white-skinned garlic, purple-skinned garlic, black-skinned garlic, etc. according to the color of the skin, and it is most recommended that everyone often eat purple-skinned garlic, compared with white-skinned garlic, its taste is more spicy, the allicin content is higher, and the antibacterial effect is more obvious. Once the temperature of raw garlic exceeds 80 °C, it will cause the loss of active ingredients in garlic, so it is better to eat garlic raw, slice it before eating, and leave it for 10~15 minutes for better results.
Why is garlic not easy to sprout in the supermarket?
First of all, because of the high demand in the supermarket, every fresh garlic is bought before it has time to sprout on the shelves, even if there is really a long time to pick the remaining sprouted garlic, the supermarket salesperson will clean it up before the door opens in order to eat safely, so every time we go to the supermarket to buy garlic is always fresh, if we go to a grocery store with a small flow of customers, the germinated garlic can also be seen.
The second is the preservation environment of the supermarket, the garlic of the supermarket will be dried to remove the excess water of the garlic species and prevent its germination, and the supermarket will keep the garlic in a low temperature and suitable humidity environment, which can well inhibit the growth of garlic germ and prolong the shelf life of garlic.
Once the garlic is bought home, the external environment changes, and the suitable environment will promote its rapid germination, and the garlic and other vegetables bought together will release some catalysts for common green peppers, tomatoes, cabbage and other vegetables, and garlic will become easier to germinate.
Then, the garlic in many supermarkets is generally sterilized, such as ultraviolet disinfection, when the peeled garlic is stored at room temperature, spoilage will appear after 5 days, and spoilage will appear after 9 days after ultraviolet treatment. Stored at low temperatures, garlic can be stored for about 45 days, and when treated with ultraviolet light, it can be extended to 70 days, and the effect is quite obvious.
In addition to this, we also need to be aware of some external factors. For example, garlic purchased in a supermarket may have been rigorously screened and processed, with better quality garlic being selected that is more difficult to germinate.
The garlic in the supermarket will be checked and cleaned regularly, and we rarely check it frequently at home after purchase, which may also make it difficult for us to find out the germination of garlic at home in time.
The long-distance transportation of garlic is also full of knowledge, and the garlic must be sealed with a transparent polyethylene bag before transportation to avoid problems such as moisture, deterioration and mildew of garlic. After packaging, garlic should be stored refrigerated, away from direct sunlight and heat.
The mode of transportation will be selected according to the transportation distance, quality requirements, transportation costs and other factors, among which road transportation is the most common, with the advantages of fast speed, controllable time, wide distribution range, etc., but depends on the road, weather conditions, and the transportation cost is higher. Rail transportation has the advantages of cheap, long-distance, and high-volume transportation, but it also has environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity that are difficult to control.
Sea freight has the advantages of large volume and low cost, but sea freight is time-consuming, complicated procedures, and transportation is easily disturbed by external environmental factors. Air freight is the fastest, safest, and most controllable, but it is too expensive and needs to be controlled by aviation, so it is usually rarely used.
Tips for storing garlic at home
Although it is impossible to create the same storage environment at home as the supermarket, there are many storage tips at home, first of all, the cryopreservation method, the garlic is broken into cloves, the garlic is sealed with a fresh-keeping bag, and placed in the refrigerator compartment, the temperature of the refrigerator is preferably set below 5 °C, so that the garlic can be well prevented from germinating.
The second is the sealed preservation method, the garlic is broken into garlic cloves and packed into a bottle, sealed well, as the oxygen concentration in the bottle decreases, the garlic breathing will also be inhibited, and it will not sprout naturally.
There is also a hanging preservation method, in which garlic is woven into bundles, hung in a cool and ventilated place, air-dried, and stored after reducing the humidity of the epidermis, which is very common in the north. Finally, there is the desiccant preservation method, in which a desiccant is placed in a container where garlic is stored to reduce air humidity and thus inhibit garlic germination.
It should be noted that no matter which method is used to preserve garlic, it is necessary to pay attention to maintaining a cool, dry and ventilated storage environment, avoiding direct sunlight, and dealing with garlic in time once it is found that there is germination or mildew.
epilogue
Keeping garlic dry and full in the supermarket does not mean that the supermarket uses some mysterious preservation method, which is mainly due to the large supply and demand of the supermarket, the right storage conditions, and the sterilization treatment, which is naturally difficult for us ordinary consumers to achieve at home.
But as long as we are at home in a reasonable way of preservation, the germination of garlic will be greatly reduced, it is best to buy garlic in small quantities many times, fresh garlic is always no safety hazard, in addition, it is also a good choice to grow garlic in a pot at home.
Bibliography:
Reference network
Can you eat garlic when it sprouts, it is better to eat it than to eat it cooked
Reference.Family Medicine.Sprouted garlic is bad for health?