The California Advantage

Fresh, California garlic may seem like an exotic ingredient, but the truth is, it offers cost-in-use similar to dehydrated garlic.

There is a generally accepted notion in the food industry that it is more economical to use dehydrated garlic than it is to use fresh garlic. We commissioned The National Food Laboratory (the NFL) in Dublin, Calif., to conduct a sensory evaluation of fresh and dehydrated garlic to determine the equivalency level between the two.

The story being told today is that it takes five times the amount of fresh garlic to equal one time the amount of dehydrated garlic. The NFL found that level is not accurate. In fact, the equivalency rate is dramatically less than five to one. This means fresh garlic has a similar cost-in-use to dehydrated, making fresh the best value because of its flavor advantage.

Why use fresh garlic?

• Fresh garlic has a more complex flavor and aroma than dehydrated. When garlic is dehydrated, the highly volatile fresh flavor notes are lost in the heating and drying process
• "Fresh garlic" enhances any product label
• Fresh garlic is easy-to-use, and can be delivered in ready-to-use forms from puree to dice
• Based on flavor, fresh garlic has a similar cost-in-use to dehydrated
• Fresh California garlic assures traceability