Salem County, New Jersey – (12-19-12) - At a recent local fair where we were selling our black garlic, we had samples out to show what our product looks like. It was interesting to see how many heads we turned when folks realized that the garlic was black inside! More often than not, people had not heard of the aged, fermented garlic.

A great aspect about this educational process is the chance to let consumers know about the health benefits as well, which turn out to be even better than raw garlic. Foods that are black in color have been getting some positive press in recent years due to their high content of antioxidants.

Black garlic is no exception. It has roughly twice the antioxidants of raw garlic. Antioxidants are substances that may help prevent and repair cell damage done by disease-causing free radicals. Cancer, heart disease, and diabetes are all health problems contributed by the action of free radicals in our bodies.

Also, during the fermentation process of converting raw garlic to black garlic, a compound called allicin in the raw garlic (the culprit in garlic breath) is converted to s-allylcysteine. This water soluble compound has been used in cholesterol-lowering studies and since it’s water soluble, it can be absorbed more quickly by the body.

How does all of this happen? – Through an all-natural aging and fermentation process. Why does the color turn to black? Raw garlic is packed with natural sugars and amino acids and during the fermentation process a compound called melanoidin is created, which turns it the color black.

Bottom line, what does this all really mean? Black garlic has a lot of the same great health benefits of raw garlic, some of its’ own, doesn’t give you garlic breath and has a great flavor for cooking! It’s a food that you just have to try for yourself!