I have been experimenting with garlic storage to get it to last as long as
possible as I only grow one crop per year. Usually I plant in March and
harvest in October. I always hang and dry after harvest. This year I broke
up a lot of bulbs to extract the largest cloves for 'seed' to plant in
March. I kept the left-overs (which were then about 5 months old and still
in good condition) in a sealed jar in the fridge. For several months they
were fine. Then the colour and smell changed. The colour went from off
white to light brown and from opaque to semi-translucent. The smell is hard
to describe, you wouldn't mistake it for fresh garlic but it is still like
garlic. It is pungent and adds an interesting flavour/aroma to cooking but
it is different. The cloves are not rotten nor do they obviously have any
mould on them.

I won't be repeating this experiment as I prefer the more gentle degrading
that takes place when they dry out when stored in the air. If comparing to
your situation keep in mind that my place is likely to be warmer than many
in Europe or the USA and they will dry quicker.

Can anybody tell me what caused the change in the fridge?

David