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