Rare black garlic arrives in Guangzhou, citizens pay a high price to try it
Garlic is a common ingredient people see every day, but have you ever seen black garlic? In recent years, black garlic, a health food popular in Japan, Southeast Asia and elsewhere, has quietly arrived in Guangzhou supermarkets, opening citizens' eyes.
Curious for something new, citizens eagerly give it a try
On the shelves of the TASTE supermarket in China Plaza, the reporter saw that there are currently three types of black garlic products on sale, each about 200g, all priced at 168 yuan.
At the scene, many citizens curiously picked up the black garlic and examined it carefully. One customer muttered while looking: "Is this garlic black by nature? I've never seen it." She eventually bought a jar of black garlic cloves, saying she would "give it a try."
The reporter also bought a jar to try and found that the black garlic cloves were glossy black throughout, with a texture as soft as candied jujubes. They had none of the pungent smell of ordinary garlic, tasted rather distinctive, and left no obvious odour in the mouth after eating.
A staff member said that black garlic had only just been put on the shelves, and many customers found it novel and bought it to try, so sales were good.
Some citizens who frequently travel abroad are repeat buyers of black garlic. Citizen Mr Ou bought similar black garlic food in Hong Kong, China not long ago, at HK$438 per jar, equivalent to about 350 yuan. "A relative first went to Shandong on holiday and brought some back. I tried it and thought it was good, so when I saw it on sale in Hong Kong, China, I bought it. It turns out Guangzhou sells it too, and for half the price."
Assessing the value: more than 10 times the active ingredients
Ordinary garlic costs just a few yuan per jin, yet a small jar of black garlic costs over a hundred yuan. What exactly makes it so expensive?
It is understood that fermented black garlic is made from selected fresh, high-quality raw garlic using a unique Japanese professional method, and requires about a month of careful processing. This not only enhances the garlic's nutrition but also eliminates its unpleasant odour, turning it into an easily acceptable food. Fermented black garlic was developed in Mie Prefecture, Japan, in 2003. The famous Japanese medical scientist and professor at the School of Medicine of Hirosaki University, Sasaki Jinichi, proved through experiments on white mice that the active ingredients of black garlic can boost immunity and have a strong inhibitory effect on cancer cells.
The main benefits of black garlic come from three components it is rich in: SAC (S-allyl cysteine), polyphenols and free amino acids. Among these, SAC is a component unique to black garlic, with extremely strong effects in resisting thrombosis, breaking down fat, inhibiting cholesterol production, boosting brain activity and preventing multiple chronic diseases. Polyphenols have super-strong antioxidant capacity, can delay ageing and enhance immunity, and black garlic contains more than 10 times the polyphenols of raw garlic. Free amino acids are more easily absorbed by the human body, and the S-allyl cysteine component also helps prevent myocardial infarction, cerebral infarction and arteriosclerosis.