Posted March 5, 2014
You may be tempted to toss your old garlic bulb that has started to sprout, but a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reports that aging bulbs are higher in antioxidants than their fresh counterparts.
The sprouting of plant seeds promotes the synthesis of bioactive compounds such as phytoalexins, antimicrobial and antioxidant substances that protect the plant from external pathogens. Previous studies have shown that sprouted grains and beans have increased antioxidant activity, and a Korean research team reasoned that the same may be true for garlic.
“Although garlic has been extensively studied for its health benefits, sprouted garlic has received very little attention,” wrote researchers. “We hypothesized that sprouting garlic would stimulate the production of various phytochemicals that improve health.”
Researchers found that garlic sprouted for five days exhibited higher antioxidant activity than younger bulbs.
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