Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Turning Black garlic into powder

Jerkos58 - 3-9-2018 at 18:38

This may be a strange question but for some reason it's a secret on how to make a powder out of Black garlic. I have spoken to many people and they have tried different methods. Here is the issue. Black garlic is made when heads of garlic are aged under specialized conditions of heat and humidity. Bulbs are kept in a humidity-controlled environment at temperatures that range from 60 to 77 °C (140 to 170 °F) for 60 to 90 days. There are no additives, preservatives, or burning of any kind. The enzymes that give fresh garlic its sharpness break down. Those conditions are thought to facilitate the Maillard reaction, the chemical process that produces new flavor compounds responsible for the deep taste of seared meat and fried onions. The cloves turn black and develop a sticky date-like texture. Note that it is now sticky. If I now put it into a dehydrator it will never lose the sticky oil and never be able to be ground up into a powder. I'm looking to find out what I can do after it's been removed from the cooker. What do I need to do in order to have it dry enough to grind up into a powder with out becoming one sticky lump. Thank you.

DraconicAcid - 3-9-2018 at 20:07

To turn it into a powder, you'd have to get rid of the sticky oil, but I suspect it's the oil that's got the flavours you seek. You might be able to powder it after freezing it in liquid nitrogen, but I suspect it would turn into the sticky lump as it thawed.

happyfooddance - 4-9-2018 at 05:42

You won't be able to properly powder black garlic (I love that flavor) for the same reason you won't be able to powder oil, or water. The components are in the liquid phase. However, you might be able to isolate some components by extraction and perhaps adsorb them onto a solid, like salt or maltodextrin, or regular garlic powder.



[Edited on 9-4-2018 by happyfooddance]

Jerkos58 - 4-9-2018 at 10:57

I was thinking that they freezing it before making it into powder. Guess I'll have to try that. or mixing it with regular garlic powder. But I guess it's still a secret because you can buy it but no one has posted on how it's really done on the internet. Thank you.

happyfooddance - 4-9-2018 at 11:59

I will just clarify: there is no way to powder black garlic.

You will find products like "black garlic powder", but you will never find one called "powdered black garlic". The reason is that you can make a powder with black garlic in it, but not one made wholly from black garlic. This is my field and area of expertise. This is the reason that you can call a product "vinegar powder" but not "powdered vinegar", the reason being that you can't powder vinegar (but you can adsorb small amounts of acetic acid on salts and other powders).

The idea of freezing is not a good one, for many obvious reasons, the main one being that you are not trying to produce sludge.

Commercial black garlic powder is made with a combination of black garlic and regular garlic.

Edit: What I would do is put some granulated garlic (not garlic powder) in a robot coupe, turn it on and add black garlic cloves until it starts to clump, then add a little more granulated garlic.

[Edited on 9-4-2018 by happyfooddance]

Broken Gears - 4-9-2018 at 20:16

Quote: Originally posted by happyfooddance  

What I would do is put some granulated garlic (not garlic powder) in a robot coupe, turn it on and add black garlic cloves until it starts to clump, then add a little more granulated garlic.
[Edited on 9-4-2018 by happyfooddance]


How about grinding the black garlic with some anticaking agent or other salt? Ofc you will dilute the garlic taste...

Pumukli - 12-9-2018 at 11:02

Freeze drying perhaps?

Actually black garlick is not only oil or other liquid(s) but contain fibers, inorganic salts (although not too much) and various sugars (substantial ammount of its weight) so I think it may be freeze dried and powdered without additives.

Of course, what you can buy as "black garlic powder" is probably not a freeze dried pure product.

Ubya - 12-9-2018 at 14:59

Quote: Originally posted by Pumukli  
Freeze drying perhaps?

Actually black garlick is not only oil or other liquid(s) but contain fibers, inorganic salts (although not too much) and various sugars (substantial ammount of its weight) so I think it may be freeze dried and powdered without additives.

Of course, what you can buy as "black garlic powder" is probably not a freeze dried pure product.


freeze drying removes just the water, as ina normal dessicator, if black garlic is rich in oils it won't properly turn into a dry powder