Why does garlic turn green when stir-fried?
Recently, many netizens reported on social media that garlic suddenly turned green while cooking, sparking widespread discussion. This phenomenon not only arouses curiosity, but also triggers scientific discussions on food safety and chemical reactions. This article will combine the hot topics and hot content on the Internet in the past 10 days to provide you with a detailed analysis of the reasons why garlic turns green, whether it is edible and how to avoid this situation.
1. Reasons why garlic turns green
The greening of garlic is a common chemical reaction primarily related to the sulfides and enzymes in garlic. Here are a few reasons why garlic may turn green:
| Reason | Specific instructions |
|---|---|
| enzymatic reaction | The alliinase in garlic catalyzes sulfide to produce blue or green pigments in acidic or low-temperature environments. |
| metal ions | Iron or copper pots used for stir-frying may react with the sulfides in garlic to produce green compounds. |
| Storage conditions | Garlic stored in a humid or cold environment for too long may cause internal chemical reactions. |
2. Can you still eat garlic after it turns green?
Regarding the food safety issues that netizens are most concerned about, experts gave clear answers:
| point of view | Description |
|---|---|
| Edible | Green garlic is the result of a natural chemical reaction and is non-toxic and harmless, and does not affect its nutritional value. |
| Taste may vary | Green garlic may have a slightly bitter taste but has no health effects. |
| Pay attention and observe | It is not recommended to eat garlic if it is accompanied by rot or an unpleasant smell. |
3. How to prevent garlic from turning green?
If you don't want your garlic to turn green when you stir-fry, try the following:
| method | Specific operations |
|---|---|
| control temperature | When cooking, avoid cooking garlic at high temperatures for a long time. Stir fry quickly and remove from the pot. |
| Choose kitchenware | Use a non-stick or ceramic pan to reduce the reaction of metal ions with garlic. |
| Storage method | Store garlic in a dry and ventilated place, away from humid conditions. |
| preprocessing | Soak garlic in cold water for 10 minutes before cooking to reduce enzyme activity. |
4. Hot topics discussed by netizens
In the past 10 days, discussions about "garlic turns green" have remained hot on major platforms. The following are the typical views of some netizens:
| platform | Popular comments |
|---|---|
| “The first time I saw garlic turning green, I thought I was poisoned, but it turned out to be a normal phenomenon!” | |
| Douyin | "If you fry garlic in an iron pan, it will turn green. Just switch to a non-stick pan and it will be fine!" |
| Zhihu | "The green color of garlic is the formation process of allicyanin, which is similar to the principle of kimchi turning red." |
| little red book | "The green garlic looks better when fried, like jade!" |
5. Scientific knowledge: the chemical principle of garlic turning green
The chemical reaction that turns garlic green mainly involves the following steps:
| steps | chemical reaction |
|---|---|
| 1 | Alliin in garlic is decomposed into allicin under the action of alliinase. |
| 2 | Allicin reacts with amino acids to form thiosulfinate. |
| 3 | Under acidic conditions, thiosulfinates are converted into blue or green pigments. |
This process is the same as the traditional method of turning Laba garlic green, except that the high temperature during stir-frying accelerates the reaction process.
6. Expert advice
Professor Wang, a food science expert, said in an interview:
"The greening of garlic is a natural food chemical reaction, and consumers do not need to worry too much. In fact, the traditional Chinese food Laba garlic is made using this principle. If you are concerned about the color change, you can try using stainless steel kitchenware or quickly blanch it before frying."
Through the above analysis, I believe you have a comprehensive understanding of the problem of "Why does garlic turn green when cooking?" Next time you encounter garlic turning green, you can deal with it scientifically and enjoy it with peace of mind!
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