Abstract:In order to improve the production efficiency of black garlic and accumulate more functional components, the effects of the initial water activity (A w ), temperature, and incubation time on the contents of 12 Amadori compounds (ACs), S-allyl cysteine (SAC), alliin in black garlic were studied by a single-factor optimization test. The differences between this prepared black garlic and commercially available ones in the above-mentioned functional components, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural(5-HMF), acrylamide, antioxidant activity and sensory quality were compared. The optimal conditions were as follows: initial aw was 0.87, processing temperature was 70 ℃ and the processing time was 14 days. Compared with the commercial products, the total functional components content (10 337.01 μg/g) in black garlic prepared under these conditions was significantly higher, meanwhile, their concentrations of 5-HMF and acrylamide were lower. This black garlic also showed the highest antioxidant activity in the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and DPPH assays. Its sensory quality was similar with the commercial products. The optimized process significantly reduced the processing time of black garlic by 88%, effectively increased the content of functional components and decreased the content of harmful substances in the subsequent Maillard reaction.
