Detailed Explanation of Key Processing Techniques and Operation Methods for Garlic Flakes

Processing garlic into dehydrated garlic flakes not only preserves the unique flavor of garlic, but also makes storage, transportation, and consumption convenient.

1. Process flow

Sorting → Cleaning → Slicing → Rinsing → Dehydration (drying) → Moisture equilibration → Grading → Packaging → Finished product.

2. Key process points

(1) Material selection. Select white-skinned garlic heads with large cloves, no shriveling, and free from rot, pests and diseases, severe damage, and scars.

(2) Cleaning. First use clean water to remove mud, sand, impurities, and other matter attached to the garlic heads. Then use a stainless steel knife to cut off the garlic stem, peel out the cloves, remove all the membranous skin of the garlic cloves, and discard shriveled cloves and cloves damaged by pests or diseases. After cleaning, immediately place the garlic cloves into bamboo baskets and rinse repeatedly in a flowing water tank or wash several times with high-pressure water. Note that the bare garlic cloves must be processed within 24 hours. Otherwise, the color of the dried product will be affected.

(3) Slicing and rinsing. Mechanical slicing is generally used. When slicing, the blade is required to be sharp, the blade disk stable, and the speed moderate, so as to ensure a smooth garlic surface and uniform slice thickness. The thickness of garlic slices should preferably be 1.5 mm. If the slices are too wide and thick, drying and dehydration will be slow and the color will be poor; if the slices are too thin and narrow, although the color is better, the breakage rate is high and the slice shape is not firm. During slicing, water must be continuously added for rinsing to wash away the sticky juice and impurities flowing out of the garlic cloves. Immediately place the cut garlic slices into bamboo baskets and clean them with flowing water. During cleaning, hands or bamboo or wooden rakes may be used to turn the garlic slices up and down from the bottom of the basket until the sticky juice is rinsed clean.

(4) Dehydration (drying). Place the washed garlic slices into gauze mesh bags, use a spin dryer to remove attached water, spread the drained garlic slices on drying trays, put them into a baking oven or drying room, and keep them at about 55°C for 6-7 hours. During drying, pay attention to maintaining dryness, keeping the indoor temperature, hot air volume, and moisture exhaust volume stable, and strictly control the drying time and drying moisture. If the drying time is too long and the temperature too high, the dried product will deteriorate and its commercial value will be affected. Generally, the moisture content of the dried product should be controlled at 4%-4.5%.

(5) Moisture equilibration. Because garlic slices are uneven in size, their moisture content varies slightly. Therefore, after drying, the garlic slices should be cooled slightly and then immediately placed into boxes lined with plastic bags and kept for 1-2 days so that moisture within the dried product transfers mutually and reaches equilibrium.

(6) Grading and packaging. Sieve the dried garlic slices to remove broken granules and fragments, classify them according to the degree of slice integrity, use non-toxic plastic bags for vacuum sealing, and then package them in cardboard boxes or other packaging materials in a light-protected way for sale, storage, and transportation.

In addition, the fragments and broken granules screened out can be packaged separately @#@136@#@, or dextrin, salt, sugar, and the like can be added and then crushed in a grinder into garlic powder.

3. Precautions

1. Throughout the entire processing procedure, iron utensils and copper containers must absolutely not be used, but stainless steel utensils may be used.

2. The finished dehydrated garlic slices are white with a slight pale yellow color and no dark color. The moisture content of the finished garlic slices must not exceed 6%.

3. Finished garlic slices must be stored in a dry, cool warehouse. During storage and transportation, they must not come into contact with toxic or harmful substances.