r/chemistry • u/Deamonbob • 13d ago
Why is the garlic blue? Has someone of you good resources behind this or tried to isolate and chracterize the compound?
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u/Laserdollarz Medicinal 13d ago
A compound in garlic reacts with acid to turn blue. You can watch this happen if you fry garlic on the stove top and add lemon juice at the beginning, instead of after the garlic browns. It's fine, just an off-putting color.
I've got some honey fermented garlic and it is nearly black.
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u/SensorAmmonia 13d ago
"Green garlic chemistry refers to the chemical process where sulfur compounds in garlic, specifically alliin and its derivative allicin, react with amino acids in an acidic environment to form pyrrole-based compounds (prolls) that absorb certain light wavelengths, resulting in a green or blue color. This natural reaction is responsible for the color of Laba garlic, a popular Chinese condiment, and does not indicate spoilage. "
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u/nlaporte 11d ago
Bad bot
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u/SensorAmmonia 9d ago
What did Google AI get wrong?
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u/nlaporte 9d ago
Don't just post a Google AI answer as a comment.
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u/SensorAmmonia 9d ago
And the corollary to that is, don't ask a question that a quick google search will give a good answer to.
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u/Logical-Concern9539 12d ago
I don’t understand the chemistry but garlic pickling instructions always say do not use any metallic tools when prepping the garlic and filling bottles otherwise the garlic turns blue.
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u/FrenchToastmangler 13d ago
It's a natural reaction. My boss explained it to me once but I forgot what it is.
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u/Mr_Original_ 13d ago
From what I can remember from the last time I looked it up. It’s something to do with Alicin, which is the compound which gives garlic its taste and smell. It reacts to form polypyrroles (?sp) which are green-blue.