Dehydrated garlic is sold in much the same forms as onion: flakes or slices, chopped, minced, granules and powder. Some plants also offer roasted or toasted garlic for a deeper flavour.
Garlic cloves are separated, peeled, sliced, washed and dried. The dried slices are the flake product. Smaller forms are made by milling and sieving the flakes into size bands.
The main forms
- Flakes or slices: whole dried slices or broken slices. Used in pickles, ready meals and some retail products.
- Chopped: small pieces of even size, used in sauces and seasonings where pieces show.
- Minced: finer pieces, used in dressings, dips, toppings and garlic bread mixes.
- Granules: coarse particles that flow well. Used in seasonings, rubs and snack coatings.
- Powder: finely milled, used in blends, sauces, processed meat and snack seasoning.
- Roasted or toasted: garlic dried or heated further to brown it, for a sweeter, nuttier note.
Sizes are set by each plant
As with onion, there is no single standard size for each form. One plant's minced may be another's fine chopped. Order by a size range in millimetres or mesh, with limits on oversize and fines. The ranges in standard particle sizes for each onion form are a useful starting point, as garlic cuts are often described the same way.
Where Indian garlic comes from
A large share of Indian dehydrated garlic is made in Gujarat, including around Mahuva, often in the same plants that dry onion. The fresh garlic harvest falls roughly February to April, and plants dry most heavily after it arrives. Indian garlic tends to have smaller cloves than the large white garlic common in China, which affects peeling cost and appearance. See the difference between Indian and Chinese dehydrated garlic.
What to specify
- Form and particle size range, with oversize and fines limits.
- Colour: garlic is usually cream to light yellow. Agree a reference sample.
- Moisture: a maximum with a named method.
- Pungency: if strength matters, an agreed measure, as discussed in what allicin or pungency dehydrated garlic should have.
- Microbiology: TPC, coliforms, E. coli, yeast and mould, and Salmonella.
- Treatment: steam sterilised or untreated, and no ETO.
- Residues: pesticide limits for your market.
- Packing: cartons or bags with sealed liners.
Buying onion and garlic together
Many buyers source both from the same cluster and ship them in one container. That works well if both products meet the spec. Treat each form as a separate product with its own tests, rather than assuming one plant is equally good at both. Garlic and onion can also pick up each other's odour, so keep liners sealed and cartons clearly marked.
How we help
We find Gujarat plants that dry and mill garlic in house and collect samples of each form you need. We test them at an NABL-accredited lab for moisture, microbiology and residues before you choose. Ask for a free sourcing review.