Garlic is an integral part of any Indian kitchen. From making tadka to enhancing the flavour of any curry, garlic or lehsun is often consumed in almost all regional cuisines of India. Not only this, even international cuisines swear by the magic of garlic, this humble ingredient offers. But, sadly, due to rising business of adulteration and high demand, even garlic is now being adulterated. In the past, fark garlic made of cement was being sold in Maharashtra’s Akola district.
If we talk about the benefits of garlic, as per the National Library of Medicine, garlic and its secondary metabolites have shown excellent health-promoting and disease-preventing effects on many human common diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, blood pressure, and diabetes, through its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and lipid-lowering properties. The study also states, consumption of garlic, garlic preparation, garlic extract, and garlic extract-derived bioactive constituents on oxidative stress, inflammation, cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, skin, bone, and other common diseases.
While these are proven benefits of garlic, consuming fake or adulterated garlic can pose a threat to health in the long run. Consuming garlic mixed with cement can cause nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, and diarrhea. Also, cement contains harmful chemicals like calcium oxide, which can lead to poisoning and internal organ damage. And inhaling cement dust from contaminated garlic may cause breathing difficulties, coughing, and lung irritation. And long-term consumption of adulterated garlic may put stress on these organs, leading to potential failure. Keeping these in mind, it is important to check the purity of garlic before buying. Take a look at 7 smart ways of checking purity of garlic.
Check the colour: First of all, check the colour. If it is pristine white with no spots, there are chances that the garlic is fake and polished.
Feel the texture: Real garlic has an irregular shape and texture, while the fake ones are too smooth and in the right shape.
Touch the skin: The fake ones have thicker and hard-to-remove skin, while the real ones have thin skin, which is easy to remove.
Use water: Real garlic sinks once placed in water, while the fake garlic may float.
Smell it: The aroma of spices and herbs is a strong indicator of their authenticity. Genuine garlic will have a pungent aroma to it, while fake garlic will either have no aroma, or might have a weak or chemical odour, indicating artificial additives.
Taste: This test can help identify fake herbs. If the garlic has an aftertaste of chemicals, then one should avoid buying such garlic at all costs.
Look at packaging: Also, make sure to inspect the packaging for authenticity. Picture perfect packaging of garlic is a sign of doubt. Also if the garlic pods look too perfect avoid them.
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