As an important variety in the garlic family, white garlic occupies a prominent position in the domestic and foreign agricultural product markets. Its distinctive appearance features, combined with practical value and commercial advantages, are a popular choice in food processing, condiment production and export trade. A deep understanding of the appearance characteristics of white garlic will help buyers accurately identify quality and optimize supply chain management.
From the overall morphology, white garlic is usually flat spherical or short conical, and the garlic head is tightly wrapped by multiple petal-shaped bulbs. The diameter of a mature garlic head is about 4 to 6 cm, and the weight is mostly between 30 and 50 grams. The uniformity of size is one of the important criteria for judging its grading. The color of the garlic skin is mainly milky white or light yellow, the surface is smooth and thin, and it is easy to peel off. This feature makes it more labor-saving during processing.
The single-lobed bulb of white garlic is crescent-shaped or wedge-shaped, with a slightly curved edge and relatively uniform size. Each head of garlic usually contains 8 to 12 cloves, and the number of cloves is highly stable. This feature has obvious advantages in mechanized sorting. The bulb is firm and has a dense fiber structure visible in the cross section. This structure not only enhances storage resistance, but also makes it less susceptible to damage during long-distance transportation.
The skin color and thickness of garlic cloves directly affect its commodity value. The outer skin of high-quality white garlic is translucent. After peeling, the inner flesh is white and full, without obvious yellow spots or black spots. In terms of thickness, the thickness of a single clove is about 0.3 to 0.5 cm. Too thin will easily lead to shriveling, and too thick may affect the yield. When purchasing, you can judge the moisture content by gently pinching it - garlic cloves with moderate elasticity are usually fresher.
Compared with other garlic varieties, white garlic has fewer and shorter roots and a flat stem plate (garlic column). Although these details are not conspicuous, they are the key to distinguishing varieties. Export standards often require that the stem plate residue does not exceed 1/5 of the height of the garlic head to ensure compact packaging.
Mastering the appearance characteristics of white garlic can not only help foreign trade practitioners quickly screen high-quality sources, but also provide consumers with an intuitive quality reference. As the demand for standardized agricultural products in the international market grows, the popularization of such basic knowledge is becoming increasingly important.
