What is Black Garlic?
Once harvested, locally-grown white garlic bulbs are aged (caramelized) for one to two months using controlled heat and humidity. This process causes certain enzymes and sugars in the cloves to break down naturally – nothing is added.
The cloves inside the paper-thin white skins first turn a deep brown and once the process is complete, a soft black. The texture of the cloves changes too – from shiny, firm, white meat to black, soft, sweet, spreadable cloves. The process also causes the strong flavor of the raw white garlic to melt into a mellow, caramelized sweetness, ready to be eaten straight from the bulb or incorporated into any dish that normally uses garlic, and then some!
Black Gold Garlic is full of umami and complex flavors that will take your mouth on an exciting adventure as you add it to your culinary creations. Once only available to top chefs across the country, we prepare the bulbs with great care for your personal use.
The more we work with Texas Black Gold Garlic, the more ways we learn to use it to create spectacular meals, from salads to appetizers, entrees and even desserts. We look forward to hearing all the different ways you use this terrific ingredient.
Testing and Quality Control
Quality and product purity have always meant everything to us, so we've sent our products off for advanced lab testing to ensure we can continue to offer you the best black garlic around!
The majority of the ingredients are grown in cooperation with local Texas farmers. One of our company's primary missions has always been to work with and support local farmers. Not only does our seed program help the farmers, but knowing the farmer helps us maintain a significant amount of quality control, something no other black garlic companies are doing.
On top of that, we say our products are truly vegan and beyond organic because they're grown without fertilizer or pesticides and are naturally Non-GMO, for that matter.
Many people don't realize this, but certified organic is not always what people expect. Meaning people, vegans for example, feel assured they're eating clean produce when, in fact, organic fertilizer can be used to grow certified organic vegetables, but when tested, animal protein is often found due to the organic manure, so it's not a truly vegan product. However, we test our produce for non-animal specific protein and it's a hundred percent clean. The industry practically forces companies like ours to pay thousands of dollars for a certification that can be misleading, and we believe it's important that the public be made aware of this issue.
Texas Black Gold Garlic Health Benefits
Garlic has many well-known health benefits, but what happens when garlic is fermented to create a culinary sensation called black garlic? It appears this exciting and nutritious creation has a host of benefits to boast about. For instance, black garlic has more than quadruple the amount of antioxidants compared to regular garlic. (Jang et al., 2008). This naturally heat-aged delicacy is in high demand at top restaurants worldwide, and Texas Black Gold Garlic (TBGG) has made it conveniently available to you.
The perfect, sweet syrupy-flavor of black garlic, with familiar garlic undertones, makes this ingredient very versatile and a delicious snack, without the fear of garlic breath. TBGG is low in fat, rich in natural sugars, amino acids and contains no additives. Perhaps what is most unique is black garlic contains S-Allyl cysteine (SAC), which is converted from Allicin in white garlic. SAC has not been fully tested via clinical trials but shows a tremendous amount of health benefits, according to several studies.
Let’s take a closer look at some significant health benefits:
· SAC shows strong evidence to powerfully support healthy blood sugar by setting up an antioxidant defense system in the pancreas. Black garlic offers stronger antioxidant effects than white garlic, according to studies. 1
· SAC and optimal cell regeneration are indicated; the treatment affected the growth of CWR22R, with no detectable toxic effect on nude mice. 3. 2
· SAC delivers double the antioxidant power to scavenge free radicals, decrease oxidative stress and preserve the striatal activity of Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn-SOD). 3
· SAC with abnormal cell growth in liver, colon and breasts shows signs of suppressing the proliferation rate of abnormal cells while hindering migration and invasion of these cells. 4
· Black garlic's Allicin and SAC support a strong immune defense and offer boosted benefits that include healthy bacteria balance, natural resistance and overall wellness.
Fermented garlic has greater health benefits than the common variety, says nutritionist Velumani Deepapriya of the Singapore Nutrition and Dietetics Association. “Especially in improving blood circulation and increasing antioxidant levels in the body.” The advantage of SAC is that it is well-absorbed, much more stable than allicin and 100 percent bioavailable. Google search “Mandarin oil painter Choo Keng Kwang” to find out what eating half a bulb of black garlic a day did for him!
Please note, these statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Citations
1. Lee, Y.-M., Gweon, O.-C., Seo, Y.-J., Im, J., Kang, M.-J., Kim, M.-J., & Kim, J.-I. (2009). Antioxidant effect of garlic and aged black garlic in animal model of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Nutrition Research and Practice, 3(2), 156–161.doi.org/10.4162/nrp.2009.3.2.156
2. Chu, Q., Lee, D. T.W., Tsao, S. W., Wang, X. and Wong, Y. C. (2007), S-ally cysteine, a water-soluble garlic derivative, suppresses the growth of a human androgen-independent prostate cancer xenograft, CWR22R, under in vivo conditions. BJU International, 99: 925–932. doi: 10.1111/j.1464-410X.2006.06639.x
3. Pérez-Severiano F, Rodríguez-Pérez M, Pedraza-Chaverrí J, Maldonado PD, Medina-Campos ON, Ortiz-Plata A, et al. S-Ally cysteine, a garlic-derived antioxidant, ameliorates quinolinic acid-induced neurotoxicity and oxidative damage in rats.Neurochem Int. 2004; 45: 1175–1183.
4. Ng, K. T. P., Guo, D. Y., Cheng, Q., Geng, W., Ling, C. C., Li, C. X., … Man, K. (2012). A Garlic Derivative, S-ally cysteine (SAC), Suppresses Proliferation and Metastasis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. PLoS ONE, 7(2), e31655.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0031655
Two other recent academic articles suggest that black garlic has high concentrations of antioxidants (1), antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties (2).
(1) J Med Food. 2014 Oct;17(10):1057-63. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2013.3043. Epub 2014 Sep 19.
Aged Black Garlic Exerts Anti-Inflammatory Effects by Decreasing NO and Proinflammatory Cytokine Production with Less Cytoxicity in LPS-Stimulated RAW 264.7 Macrophages and LPS-Induced Septicemia Mice.
Kim MJ, Yoo YC, Kim HJ, Shin SK, Sohn EJ, Min AY, Sung NY, Kim MR.
(2) Physicochemical and antioxidant properties of black garlic.
Choi IS, Cha HS, Lee YS.
Molecules. 2014 Oct 20;19(10):16811-23. doi: 10.3390/molecules191016811.
Our Return or refund policy
Here at Texas Black Gold Garlic, we take our customers very seriously. We love our products and want to make sure that you are happy with your purchase.
Our policy is simple: we take each return on a case by case basis. Please email us at texasblackgoldgarlic@gmail.com with the reason for the return. If the item was damaged, please include pictures of the damage and we will replace the item for you.
Returns should be submitted no later than 30 days after purchase.