Post Harvest Technology of Garlic - A Review

Garlic bulbs, valued for their flavour, command an extensive commercial importance because of their wide application in food and pharmaceutical preparations. The major producers of garlic in the world are China, India, South Korea, USA, Egypt and Spain. The world production of garlic in 2002 was 12.23 M tonne. Post harvest curing,. packaging, storage and processing of garlic are very important. Insects and fungi attack garlic bulbs during storage. Blue mold rot, dry rot and sprouting are the major causes of loss during storage. The storage loss can be minimized by following proper packaging and storage techniques. The pungent compounds of garlic responsible for the flavour suffer loss during processing. The processing techniques aim at minimizing the loss of pungent compounds and yielding shelf stable products. An attempt has been made to analyse the flavour chemistry of garlic, traditional and modern storage methods of garlic bulbs, methods of preparation of garlic paste, garlic extract, garlic oil, dehydrated garlic products, and "garlic pickle with special emphasis on the processing parameters and quality standards of end products. Analytical methods for the determination of volatile aromatic compounds in garlic bulbs and in its various preparations are also discussed.