How Do You Separate and Peel Garlic

Garlic is a kitchen staple, but peeling it at home can feel like a never-ending chore. Imagine scaling that process to meet global demand—factories process tons of garlic daily. So, how do they efficiently separate cloves and remove those stubborn skins without a army of home cooks? Let’s peel back the layers on the fascinating industrial process.

Step 1: Breaking Bulbs into Cloves
A garlic bulb arrives at the factory tightly wrapped in its papery outer skin. The first task is to separate individual cloves without damaging them. Historically, this was done by hand, but modern factories use mechanical crushers. These garlic peeling machine apply gentle pressure to crack the bulb’s outer layers, allowing cloves to break free. Think of it like a high-tech walnut cracker—applying just enough force to split the bulb while keeping cloves intact.

Some systems use rotating drums with rubber paddles that tumble bulbs, loosening cloves through friction. The separated cloves then move via conveyor belts to the next stage.

Step 2: Peeling—The Heart of the Process
Peeling garlic at scale requires clever engineering. Factories typically use one of three methods:

Mechanical Abrasion:
Cloves are fed into rotating drums lined with rubber or silicone. As the drum spins, cloves rub against each other and the textured surfaces, stripping away the skin. It’s like a high-speed tumble dryer—gentle enough to avoid bruising but tough on peels.

Compressed Air or Vacuum Systems:
In advanced setups, cloves are placed in sealed chambers. A burst of compressed air or a vacuum pulse creates pressure differences, causing the skin to detach explosively. This method minimizes physical contact, preserving clove quality.

Step 3: Cleaning and Quality Control
Post-peeling, cloves pass through rinsing stations to remove debris. They’re then inspected. Some facilities use optical sorting machines—cameras detect discolored or damaged cloves, while air nozzles eject subpar ones. In others, workers manually check conveyor belts for lingering skin fragments.

Step 4: Packaging and Beyond
Peeled garlic is dried to extend shelf life, then packaged. Vacuum-sealed bags or containers preserve freshness, often under nitrogen gas to prevent oxidation. Some cloves are minced, sliced, or pureed for value-added products.

Why Factories Do It Better

A single factory can peel hundreds of pounds of garlic per hour—a task that would take humans days. Automation also reduces contamination risks, ensuring food safety. Plus, machines handle irregular clove sizes with adjustable settings, something manual labor struggles with.