Normal garlic or dehydrated garlic: which one is better?

It’s a tough job to declare a winner between fresh and dehydrated garlic. Both have many health benefits with few limitations.

Garlic is an important condiment in every kitchen. The pale yellow colored Garlic cloves are known for their strong spicy flavor. Enriched with phytonutrients, garlic is often suggested to treat various digestive problems. It is also essential for the immune system and heart health. When crushed, a sharp fragrance comes out of it, which provides a distinct aroma to various recipes. This is the traditional way of using garlic, however, recent advances in technology have helped to get a dehydrated garlic version, which generally comes as a powder. You will come across numerous debates regarding the effectiveness of both these versions. In this article, we will clarify those controversies. Read on.

How dehydrated garlic is prepared?

Mature and fresh garlic bulbs are first twisted and broken by providing mild pressure. Then they are scrubbed manually or with the help of machines. This removes the skin from cloves. Then, the cloves are sliced into smaller pieces followed by filtration, drying, and Dehydration. After that, a mesh is used to get a uniform size of particles.

Comparison of nutritional profile for both fresh and dehydrated garlic:

First, let me clarify one thing. Both versions of garlic have similar nutrients but are present in varying concentrations. Let's start with calories, fresh and raw garlic provides more calories than dehydrated garlic. An equal amount of garlic clove provides more protein than the powdered version. The difference is around one-third. The fiber is mostly removed during the processing of dehydrated garlic. Thus, fresh garlic cloves possess twice the amount of fiber as dehydrated garlic. Among other minerals, manganese, calcium, and phosphorus content decreases during the processing of dehydrated garlic. Also, another important element, iron remain is found in higher quantities in fresh garlic cloves. One major disadvantage of using dehydrated garlic is the lack of selenium, which is an essential element to treat cancer. Furthermore, Vitamin B and C concentration decrease during the preparation of the powdered version. So, based on the nutritional profile, fresh garlic clove is much more beneficial than the dehydrated version.

Major takeaways:

Dehydrated Garlic is less prone to burning during food preparation which makes it a better choice for cooking. Even if it turns brown, it won't burn immediately. It's better to use powdered garlic during soups and stews preparation.

People use powdered garlic as it is easy to use. Always be sure, for which purpose you are using garlic. Do not pour powdered garlic directly on your mouth, it's very irritating. Only use it while cooking.