Quality Of Garlic Research Articles

Effects of Film Mulching on Soil Quality, Garlic Yield, and Garlic Quality

To determine the optimal film management technique for garlic planting, this study aimed to investigate the effects of various film cover methods on soil quality and garlic yield in garlic cropping systems. To achieve these goals, trials with different film cover methods were conducted at the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Nanjing. To investigate the impact of changes in soil quality and garlic yield, we set up four treatments： no film treatment （CK）, black polyethylene film treatment （HPE）, black poly（butylene- adipate-co-terephthalate） （PBAT） with straw composite film treatment （HSJ）, and white PBAT film treatment （BJ） in a garlic cropping system. Our results indicated that specific mulch coverings had a positive effect on both soil quality and garlic yield. The film cover treatments resulted in significant changes in soil physicochemical properties and bacterial and fungal biomasses and indirectly improved soil quality. Compared to that under the no film treatment, the BJ treatment boosted soil quality by 70%, with the most significant impact, followed by that under the HPE and HSJ treatments, with improvements of 52% and 36%. Random forest modeling indicated that soil organic matter and total nitrogen were the most important factors influencing soil quality. The different film covers significantly increased the diameter of garlic bulbs and single quality. The HSJ treatment exhibited the most significant increase in garlic yield, with 46%, 19%, and 6% improvement compared to that in the CK, HPE, and BJ treatments, respectively. Correlation analysis showed that soil quality under film cover was significantly correlated with the starch content of garlic bulbs, garlic diameter, and single quality. This study highlights that selecting the appropriate mulch film aids in the production of garlic and helps to develop farmland that produces both high-quality and high-yield crops.

Changes in Garlic Quality during Fermentation under Different Conditions.

One of the garlic processing methods is fermentation, which produces black garlic with completely different chemical, physical, sensory, culinary, and health-enhancing properties. Our study aimed to compare the influence of various processing conditions on the quality indicators of black garlic (BG). Samples of white garlic (WG) were placed in laboratory climatic chambers. BG1 samples were packed in plastic bags and vacuumed, BG2 and BG3 samples were packed in textile mesh bags. BG1 samples were fermented in 70% humidity at 50 °C for 28 days, BG2 samples in 85% humidity at 60 °C for 99 days, and BG3 samples in 80% humidity at 80 °C for 14 days. The dependence of changes in chemical composition, color, and texture of garlic on fermentation conditions was analyzed. Proximate composition analyses and antioxidant activity of WG and BG were performed using standard methods. It was established that regardless of the fermentation conditions, BG's chemical composition became richer than WG's. They significantly increased vitamin C content (1.5-5.8 fold), titratable acidity (14.7-21.0 fold), protein (1.4-3.2 fold), fiber (4.6-7.0 fold), and ash (1.2-3.9 fold) content, amount of total phenolic compounds (6.6-9.6 fold) and antioxidant activity (5.3-9.9 fold). Fermented garlic turned dark in color and soft and sticky in texture. The higher fermentation temperature (80 °C) but the shorter time (14 days) had the greatest positive effect on the quality of black garlic.

Investigating the Effect of Packaging Conditions on the Properties of Peeled Garlic by Using Artificial Neural Network (ANN)

ABSTRACTThis study investigated the effect of packaging conditions on the properties of peeled garlic during storage, and the results have been evaluated using statistical analysis and artificial neural network (ANN). Peeled garlic was packed with polyethylene (PE) film and polyethylene film equipped with nanoparticles (2% nanoclay) and filled into the packages using ambient and modified atmospheres (1% O2, 5% CO2 and 94% N2). A group of packages was also packed under vacuum conditions. The packaged samples were stored at 25°C, 4°C and −18°C for 35 days. Colour indices (a*, b* and L*), chemical properties (pH and TSS) and mechanical properties (Fmax and Emod) of the peeled garlic were measured during the storage time. The final results showed that the use of nanofilm and modified atmosphere had a positive effect on maintaining the quality of peeled garlic during the storage. On the other hand, the temperature changes showed that the freezing temperature had a negative effect on the garlic quality (properties) during the storage period. The statistical analysis results of the data showed the significant effect of treatments and their interactions on properties at levels of 1% and 5%. The results of ANN showed that the peeled garlic properties (physical, chemical and mechanical) could be predicted with the highest performance scores. The most successful ANN models were identified for each property, with the Trainbr learning algorithm and Tansig transfer function yielding the highest prediction scores for physical (R2 > 0.90) and chemical properties; on the other hand, Logsig was most successful for mechanical properties (R2 > 0.84).

Predictive modeling of garlic quality in hybrid infrared-convective drying using artificial neural networks

Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) application for enhancing food drying processes has been gaining traction within the food industry, particularly because of its potential to optimize conditions while preserving quality. This study delves into the effects of varying convective temperatures (40, 50, 60 °C), air velocities (0.7, 1.0, and 1.5 m/s), and infrared radiation intensities (1500, 2000, 3000 W/m²) on the drying efficiency and quality of garlic slices. Additionally, it explores the capability of ANN to predict optimal drying conditions to balance time efficiency and quality retention. Experimental observations revealed that a combination of a 60°C air temperature, 1.0 m/s air velocity, and 3000 W/m² infrared radiation minimized the drying time to 4.5 h. However, this setting also resulted in a 13.4 % reduction in Allicin content and a decrease in flavor intensity to 4.09 mg/g, underscoring the complexity of optimizing drying conditions without compromising key quality attributes. The study highlights the intricate relationships between drying parameters and garlic quality through precise ANN modeling, which achieved an exceptional fit. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) further elucidated the inverse correlation between drying time and critical quality factors of color, Allicin content, and flavor. Utilizing the Self-Organizing Map (SOM) technique, the study identified five distinct optimization zones, suggesting that lower temperatures, intermediate infrared levels, and higher air velocities present an optimal balance for enhancing garlic slice quality while reducing drying time. This research underscores the potential of advanced computational tools in refining food drying processes, offering valuable insights for the food industry in its quest to improve efficiency without sacrificing product quality.

Determination of garlic clove orientation based on capacitive sensing technology

Garlic is a versatile crop of high economic value, with an increase in the growth of the cultivation scale. Planting garlic with bottom-side (root) down and pointy-tip (clove) up is essential in agriculture because the orientation of the clove significantly affects garlic quality. In this study, we propose a clove orientation recognition technique based on capacitance sensing technology, where clove states are determined by utilizing characteristic differences in capacitance variations associated with different orientations of cloves. First, we applied Maxwell simulations to obtain capacitance variation during the falling process. Second, we conducted field experiments using the capacitive sensing device to obtain the capacitance variations during the falling of garlic in an unstructured environment. Third, the continuous capacitance signal collected during the field experiment was segmented into short-term feature signals containing individual garlic fallings. Finally, Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and Frequency-Residual-GoogLeNet (F-Res-GoogLeNet) deep models were trained to recognize garlic falling states. Our best model achieved an accuracy of 96.75%, which meets the agricultural requirements for garlic cultivation. This study demonstrates that monitoring capacitance data in field environments can identify garlic cloves’ orientation, eventually enhancing garlic’s final yield, quality, and economic benefits.

Exploring the influence of supplemental potassium fertilizer types and rates on garlic quality and yield

Exploring the influence of supplemental potassium fertilizer types and rates on garlic quality and yield

Agrivoltaic Farming Insights: A Case Study on the Cultivation and Quality of Kimchi Cabbage and Garlic

Agrivoltaic systems, which combine the cultivation of crops with solar panel installations, offer a novel solution to the dual challenges of energy production and agricultural productivity. This research verifies the impact of agrivoltaic (APV) conditions on the growth and quality of garlic and kimchi cabbage over two consecutive years in Naju-si, Jeollanam Province, Republic of Korea. In the 2019–2020 cultivation season, both kimchi cabbage and garlic grown under APV conditions experienced weight reductions of 18% and 15%, respectively, when compared to those grown in conventional settings. Intriguingly, despite the altered light conditions of APV leading to microenvironmental changes (mainly 41% light reduction), the quality of these crops, particularly in terms of their sulfur compound concentrations, remained consistent. This suggests that there was no discernible difference in the sensory quality of APV-grown kimchi cabbage and garlic compared to their traditionally grown counterparts. These findings highlight the potential of APV systems in promoting sustainable agriculture by balancing both crop yield and quality. Based on these results, the study suggests three innovative cultivation techniques to enhance crop growth in APV environments.

The shortest innovative process for enhancing the S-allylcysteine content and antioxidant activity of black and golden garlic

Black garlic is a type of heat-treated garlic for which the traditional process is extremely simple yet time-consuming, taking more than one month. The purpose of this research was to reduce the processing time of black garlic while maintaining a high level of S-allylcysteine (SAC), a black garlic quality indicator. The fresh garlic was pre-treated with CaCl2 and frozen before being further incubated at two different temperatures (60 and 80 °C) with a relative humidity of 65% and 80% RH. Results showed that sequential pre-treatment and incubation at 80 °C and 80% RH for 1 week yielded 874.26 mg of SAC/100 g dry weight with an antioxidant activity of 5390 and 25,421 mg Trolox/100 g for DPPH and ABTS assays, respectively. This process shortened the processing time of black garlic by about 4-times. The batch processed at 60 °C and 65% RH for 1 week provided the highest SAC content of about 1772 mg/100 g dry weight, which was 2-times higher than in incubation at 80 °C and 80% RH for 1 week. The colour of this garlic was golden, so we call this new processed garlic product “golden garlic”.

Recycling of agricultural (orange and olive) bio-wastes into ecofriendly fertilizers for improving soil and garlic quality

Agricultural waste material even if free from toxic compounds or pathogens can cause environmental problems and their unsustainable use can lead to health and environmental risks. Orange and olive food processing wastes are rich in chemical compounds and could offer many opportunities of use, especially for the high level of nutritional components. This paper proposes to validate anaerobic digestion, aerobic digestion, and raw agricultural waste management as possible ecofriendly methods to turn these wastes into fertilizers. The byproducts obtained by these three different processes, have been chemically analyzed and assessed on soil, growth and antioxidant properties of garlic (Allium sativum). Results evidenced that the chemical properties of the soil treated with all the byproducts were positively influenced, even if the effects were different and depended on the type of the byproduct used and on the organic wastes from which the byproducts came from. The byproducts coming from orange wastes (pastazzo) were a bit more effective than those coming from olive pomace and among the byproducts the compost was the best one. Results evidenced that garlic increased its growth and antioxidant capacity when cultivated with all byproducts. The results of this study evidenced that all the byproducts obtained can be used in agriculture with success and the transformation methods used even if differently, are environmentally, economically and/or agriculturally valid.

Responses of Garlic Quality and Yields to Various Types and Rates of Potassium Fertilizer Applications

Potassium (K) is a critical plant nutrient that determines quality in a myriad of crops and increases production yields. However, excessive application of various types of K fertilizers can decrease both the food quality and yields, which translates as economic losses and food safety issues. The objectives of this study were to 1) elucidate the impacts of different application rates of various K fertilizers on garlic, with the aim to identify the optimal and most economical K fertilizer dosage and 2) compare the effects of applying two common K fertilizers (KCl and K2SO4) on garlic, to determine the optimal combination. From 2018 to 2020, we utilized two distinct K-fertilized fields to conduct our experiments. The results revealed optimal KCl fertilization increased the biomass and vegetation index in garlic, and promoted the transfer of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium nutrients from the stem and leaf to bulb, thereby increasing bulb production. The application of KCl fertilizer increased the number of cloves, the diameters of the cloves and bulbs, and reduced variations in bulb size. In addition, the application of KCl fertilizer improved the nutritional quality (Vitamin C, soluble sugar, soluble protein, and allicin) of the garlic and reduced the accumulation of nitrate. However, excessive KCl fertilizer cause decreased yields, appearance traits, and nutritional quality. Applying the same rate of K fertilizer in the form of K2SO4 in isolation increased the garlic yield by only 0.1% to 22.5% when compared with KCl fertilizer. However, the results were not always significant. In this study, the highest yields, appearance traits, and nutritional quality were achieved with the ratio of K2SO4: KCl = 3:1. Consequently, to ensure the highest economic value (considering the market prices of K fertilizer, garlic sprouts, and bulbs), the authors recommend a K fertilizer rate of 252.5 kg·ha−1 K2O, with K2SO4 accounting for 61.6% for garlic production in field.

Transcriptome in Combination Proteome Unveils the Phenylpropane Pathway Involved in Garlic (Allium sativum) Greening.

Garlic (Allium sativum) is an important vegetable crop that is widely used in cooking and medicine. The greening phenomenon of garlic severely decreases the quality of garlic and hinders garlic processing. To study the mechanism of garlic greening, comprehensive full-length transcript sets were constructed. We detected the differences in greening between Pizhou (PZ) garlic and Laiwu (LW) garlic that were both stored at −2.5°C and protected from light at the same time. The results showed that 60,087 unigenes were respectively annotated to the NR, KEGG, GO, Pfam, eggNOG and Swiss Prot databases, and a total of 30,082 unigenes were annotated. The analysis of differential genes and differential proteins showed that PZ garlic and LW garlic had 923 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), of which 529 genes were up regulated and 394 genes were downregulated. Through KEGG and GO enrichment analysis, it was found that the most significant way of enriching DEGs was the phenylpropane metabolic pathway. Proteomics analysis found that there were 188 differentially expressed proteins (DAPs), 162 up-regulated proteins, and 26 down-regulated proteins between PZ garlic and LW garlic. The content of 10 proteins related to phenylpropanoid biosynthesis in PZ garlic was significantly higher than that of LW garlic. This study explored the mechanisms of garlic greening at a molecular level and further discovered that the formation of garlic green pigment was affected significantly by the phenylpropanoid metabolic pathway. This work provided a theoretical basis for the maintenance of garlic quality during garlic processing and the future development of the garlic processing industries.

Recycling agricultural, municipal and industrial pollutant wastes into fertilizers for a sustainable healthy food production

This work was focused on recycling different typology of pollutant wastes (olive pomace and orange residues; municipal wastes and sulphur residue of hydrocarbon refining processes) with the triple objectives of limiting wastes in landfill, reducing greenhouse gas emission and producing organic-mineral fertilizers. The environmental risks and benefits of the whole process have been considered. The specific objectives were: 1) innovation in waste management techniques by reducing the accumulation of different typology of wastes using a unique process 2) verifying efficiency of the obtained organic-mineral fertilizers on soil and plant growth 3) improving soil and crop quality relating wastes to food, economy and environment.Sulphur-based pads improved soil quality mostly when contained orange residues. Onion and Garlic grew better in presence of sulphur-based pads (+20%), and mostly when pads contained orange residues (+45%). Onion and Garlic quality, in terms of antioxidant compounds and antioxidant capacity, increased in presence of sulphur-based pads (+30%) mostly when orange residues were present in the pads (+90%). In short, in addition to the environmental advantages, numerous economic benefits coming from the decrease in the production and use of chemical fertilizers, the reduction of costs for landfilling and the gain rising from the sale of the new fertilizers produced, emerged.

Bolting garlic quality and morphological traits are influenced by scape removal

Bolting garlic quality and morphological traits are influenced by scape removal

Bolting garlic quality and morphological traits are influenced by scape removal

Bolting garlic quality and morphological traits are influenced by scape removal

CONTRIBUTION OF SOIL ATTRIBUTES AND MORPHOLOGICAL VARIABLES TO YIELD OF IRRIGATED GARLIC

This study aimed to investigate relationships between the soil attributes that most affect garlic yield, which can be useful to choose a new area for the growing of this vegetable. We also aimed to study the effects of irrigation deficit at bulb formation stage (cloves) on final garlic quality and yield. The variables evaluated were garlic yield, irrigation, nitrogen, lateral shoot growing, plant water potential, bulb volume, leaf area index, soil electrical conductivity, soil mechanical resistance to penetration, and volumetric soil moisture content. Initially, the Pearson's correlation was estimated for the phenological indexes, and a correlation network was used to graphically express the results and to correct multicollinearity between variables. A track analysis was performed considering yield as the main dependent variable. The analyses showed that, of the primary garlic yield components, bulb volume is the phenological index with the greatest potential for selection and identification of garlic production. Moreover, soil resistance to penetration impaired garlic yield. Finally, irrigation deficit at clove formation stage has a negative relation with lateral shoot growing and bulb volume.

Storage time and temperature affects volatile organic compound profile, alliinase activity and postharvest quality of garlic

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) has a long history of use as a culinary seasoning and source of health-promoting compounds. In particular organosulphur compounds derived from the action of alliinase on alliin are of interest for their antimicrobial action. Due to the seasonal nature of the garlic harvest, long-term storage is required to ensure year-round supply of high-quality bulbs. However, quality is known to deteriorate throughout storage, and storage regimes are aimed at maintaining culinary, not biochemical quality, posing challenges for biotech firms extracting high value products, such as alliinase, from garlic. Storage typically involves extended periods of up to 9 months at -1.5 °C. Here, quality parameters (disease incidence and moisture content) as well as biotechnological quality parameters (alliinase yield and activity) were measured, and correlated with gene expression and volatile organic compound (VOC) profiles comparing storage at -1.5 °C and 22 °C. The aim is to develop potential molecular markers for garlic quality assessment. Alliinase activity fell in the first 6 months of storage, with garlic stored at -1.5 °C losing more activity, however 22 °C stored garlic suffered higher spoilage after 12 months storage. Alliinase activity loss was not proportional to gene transcript levels, suggesting post-translational control. A total of 150 VOCs were detected across all samples using thermal desorption gas chromatography, time of flight mass spectrometry of intact garlic bulbs, the most abundant of which were organosulphur compounds. Storage temperature significantly affected the whole VOC profile and discrete profiles were detected from garlic cold-stored for different time periods. Using weighted correlation network analysis 17 VOCs were identified that correlated with storage time, six VOCs that were indicative for storage temperature and four VOCs (azulene, octanal, o-Xylene and 4-methylhexadecane) were significantly associated with alliinase activity.

PENGARUH VARIETAS DAN APLIKASI TEKNOLOGI BUDI DAYA TERHADAP KUALITAS UMBI BAWANG PUTIH

Garlic demand in Indonesia currently still depends on import supply due to the low rate of production and its quality still inadequate to fulfill the consumer’s request who demand a bigger size. Therefore, the government has been developing garlic innovative cultivation technology, namely TIBBP, which expected to increase local garlic quality. This research aims to compare and identify the influence of TIBBP and farmer’s conventional cultivation technology and to compare the potential of garlic local variety, Lumbu Hijau and Tawangmangu Baru, on garlic bulb quality. This research was conducted in Tawangmangu, Karanganyar, Central Java. The result showed that TIBBP has been proven to increase garlic bulb quality compared to the farmer’s conventional technology. Tawangmangu Baru which cultivated with TIBBP has 32.69% bigger diameter and 11.5 gram heavier compared to Tawangmangu Baru which cultivated with the farmer’s conventional technology. Tawangmangu Baru proximate composition cultivated with TIBBP also showed better value compared to the farmer’s conventional technology. In general Tawangmangu Baru was also superior compared to Lumbu Hijau. This TIBBP might be disseminated and implemented broadly to increase garlic bulb quality in Indonesia.

Effect of Phosphorus Fertilization and Psb on Garlic Quality under Organic Farming System

The present investigation was undertaken in complete randomized design with three replicates during winter season of 2017/2018 to study the effect of phosphorus fertilization (50, 75 and 100 % from recommended dose), Phosphate Solublizing Bacteria (PSB) and chicken manure on growth criteria , chemical traits, bulb quality and yield of garlic plants. The findings showed that growth criteria such as plant height, No. of leaves, fresh and dry weight of whole plant and its leaves, neck and bulb, yield and its components (number of clovers/bulb, bulb diameter, neck diameter, average cloves and bulb as well as total Mg/fed), chemical content (N, P and K %) and quality parameters (TSS%, total carbohydrates, crude fiber, vitamin C, dry matter, volatile oil and allicin) as well as availability of N, P and K recorded the highest values with plant treated with 75% P fertilization+ PSB +Chicken manure.

Role of drying techniques on physical, rehydration, flavor, bioactive compounds and antioxidant characteristics of garlic

Various drying techniques play an important role in foodstuff preservation. However, the role of different drying techniques on garlic quality is limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of vacuum freeze-drying (VFD), hot air drying (HAD), infrared hot air drying (IRHAD), relative humidity drying (RHD) and pulsed vacuum drying (PVD) on the physical, rehydration, flavor, bioactive compounds and antioxidant characteristics of garlic slices. Results showed that garlic slices treated with VFD had an attractive color, low shrinkage, low hardness, and the lowest rehydration capacity. The volume shrinkage ratio, thermal stability and storage stability of garlic slices after HAD were the highest. Different dried garlic samples had different specific flavor fingerprints. IRHAD and RHD dried samples showed the highest rehydration capacity, content of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity. The findings could provide a scientific basis to help in future large-scale production of good quality dried garlic products.

Does split nitrogen application increase garlic yield and quality?

Nitrogen (N) fertilization is essential for obtaining high garlic yields and satisfying commercial requirements for bulb diameter. However, excess nitrogen may favor the development of lateral shoots. This study aimed to examine the effect of different N application strategies on garlic yield and quality. The experiment was conducted in the field using garlic cv. Chonan and four N fertilization strategies (T1, N fertilizer applied at 15-day intervals; T2, N fertilizer applied before and after clove differentiation; T3, N fertilizer applied before clove differentiation; and T4, N fertilizer applied after clove differentiation). All treatments received the same N rate (210 kg ha-1). A single N application before clove differentiation (T3) favored lateral shoot growth, resulting in the highest incidence of this defect (11.66%). The other treatments did not differ in lateral shoot incidence. Four classes (3–6) of bulb diameter were observed, with treatments ranked in decreasing order as T2 > T1 > T3 > T4. There were no significant differences in garlic yield between single N application treatments (T3 and T4). However, garlic yield differed by 73% between T1 (13,329 kg ha-1) and T4 (7,679 kg ha-1), by 55.31% between T2 (11,927 kg ha-1) and T4, and by 36% between T1 and T3 (9,783 kg ha-1). These results indicate that two N fertilization strategies can be adopted in high-quality garlic production: fortnightly N fertilization or split N application before and after clove differentiation. A single N application is not recommended, regardless of application timing, as it promotes lateral shoot growth and reduces garlic quality and yield.