Exploring epigallocatechin gallate impregnation to inhibit 5-hydroxymethylfurfural formation and the effect on antioxidant ability of black garlic

Abstract

5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) is regarded as a neo-formed contaminant (NFC) that may negatively affect human health. Among the foods undergoing thermal processing, the 5-HMF content of black garlic is relatively high. However, many researches have shown that 5-HMF has antioxidant ability; therefore, in this study, we aimed to explore the use of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) to reduce 5-HMF whether would also affect the antioxidant ability of black garlic. Hence, mitigating the 5-HMF formation in black garlic and increasing the safety of black garlic consumption were the purposes in this study. At the 30th day of aging, the 5-HMF content of garlic with EGCG impregnation for 12 h was 2.37 ± 0.11 mg/g dry weight, which mitigated the formation of 5-HMF by approximately 50% compared with the control. It indicated that EGCG could be adducted with 5-HMF to reduce the formation of 5-HMF during the production of black garlic. Moreover, it also found that as the impregnation time increased, the antioxidant ability of black garlic was higher. EGCG impregnation is a useful method for mitigating 5-HMF formation in black garlic without affecting the bioactivity of black garlic, such as its antioxidant ability.