Blue-green Garlic

[Konstantin]

Few months ago i noticed some blue-green pieces in a canned jar.It has a pickled vegetables inside, with garlic and parsley and some vinegar and salt. I`ve noticed that the garlic have turned blue green.

I was worryed what was wrong so i threw it away. Few weeks ago i have noticed the same situation while my wife was chopping some garlic for the lunch. She told me that it only happens to garlic the is saled in supermarkets. Its a Chinese garlic,very large and very white and have a very fresh look, and its very cheap.

When we use some organic garlic from local small sellers, that garlic is not changing color to blue-green.

I`ve researched a little bit and i find out that copper sulfate is that what is giving that color to the garlic. Garlic is reach with sulfur . Somehow sulfur from that garlic is reacting with the vinegar or some acid and somehow it turns blue.

As i know Copper sulfate is toxic for all live animals and many years ago it was used as a fungicide , back then, when modern chemicals were still not used here on the crops.

Its some kind of a traditional thing in china and its called Laba Garlic
_http://www.etours.cn/blog/china-traditional-festivals/laba-festival/attachment/5-4/

So its just me panicking or its really dangerous to consume. Maybe this Chinese garlic that is imported here is some specific species of garlic that we haven't see here before so now when it turns blue-green is looks very strange to us.

_http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/bluegarlic.htm

_http://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/why-does-garlic-turn-blue-article

_http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/cuso4gen.html

 

[Mikey]

I`ve researched a little bit and i find out that copper sulfate is that what is giving that color to the garlic. Garlic is reach with sulfur . Somehow sulfur from that garlic is reacting with the vinegar or some acid and somehow it turns blue.

If it is copper, the question is: Where does the copper come from?

This study suggests the color comes from an "enyzmatic reaction": http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16131117

This article also explains the green color and says it's safe to eat: http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/08/ask-the-food-lab-why-does-my-garlic-turn-green.html

 

[Konstantin]

Then why is it happening only with Supermarket imported Chinese garlic.( or whatever it is, they are calling it Chinese in supermarket) Or it is Genetically modified so one of the visible side effects is that it changing color.
I really dont know. I have been using garlic my whole life but never seen a garlic to change color.

Its probably not related but as soon as i saw it it reminded me of that post about and animal that was hunted and all that blue flesh under the skin. I dont remember any details but i think there was a post here about that on this forum.

 

[Palinurus]

Its probably not related but as soon as i saw it it reminded me of that post about and animal that was hunted and all that blue flesh under the skin. I dont remember any details but i think there was a post here about that on this forum.

Yes, there is this fairly recent topic: A wild pig with bright blue flesh - found in California

 

[casper]

Personally, I only use homemade garlic and never before had anything like that happen.
I googled a bit and found a record since 2000, that people are encountering this phenomenon. Also, I've found this link which suggests that garlic change color after the "wrong" preparation:
Link:
http://io9.gizmodo.com/cooking-garlic-the-wrong-way-can-make-it-turn-blue-1724738684

 

[on_strike_usaexpat]

If one has the option of local vs. China garlic,

Google: garlic china safe

and make the appropriate decision.

Like in other parts of the world, all the supermarket garlic in Chile is from China and the bulbs are large, bright white (due to bleaching) but inferior in quality and of questionable safety not only in the chemicals used to make it look nice and extend shelf life but in the possible use of human excrement when growing it and other unknowns.

The local Chilean garlic is usually smaller, has a distinct purplish skin covering the cloves, often with roots still attached along with some just out of the ground traces of dirt but of superior flavor and smell and fortunately easily encountered at the local weekly fruit and vegetable markets where a large portion of Chileans buy their produce.

 

[Yupo]

My garlic turns cyan when I raw-ferment it. I think it is safe. I eat a lot of it, anyway. The vinegar goes well with the flavor.
I pack a jar with cloves, peeled or not, then cover with apple cider vinegar. Within a week, the cloves are blue. Sometimes I just use a few drops of the vinegar for powerful garlic flavor. The recipe calls for a 1 year ferment. The first month or so, I open the jar and jiggle it to let out the bubbles. Mine isn't a year old.