SubscribeNext Up: The Tearless Onion
Of all of the important advances needed in food science, here’s one that’s sure to cause much rejoicing: Tearless Onion Created In Lab Using Gene Silencing. Now aren’t you all excited about that? Ok, enough with the sarcasm. What is it about humans that makes us think we can top the foods that Mother Nature has put here for us?
“Through RNAi, genes can be specifically shut down or turned off. By shutting down the lachrymatory factor synthase gene, we have stopped valuable sulphur compounds being converted to the tearing agent, and instead made them available for redirection into compounds, some of which are known for their flavour and health properties.”
I wonder what the unintended effect of this change will be. Note that the sulfur compounds are the very compounds that have beneficial effects in onions.
From About.com
One particular sulfur compound has been found to prevent the biochemical chain of events that lead to asthma and respiratory ailments.
It makes me wonder how they can both shut down production of these very compounds and also redirect them into adding flavor and health properties. Raise your hand if you think we’d all be better off if science would just keep its hands off of our food.
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Filed in Fruits, Vegetables, & Herbs 5 Comments so far
Anna on 04 Feb 2008 at 4:08 pm #
This isn’t science, it’s a perversion of science. Just because “we can” doesn’t mean ‘we should”.
AndrewBueno on 04 Feb 2008 at 6:05 pm #
Agreed. There are other ways around it. I found that refrigerating onions bring the tearing down.
I just used some shallots yesterday and my eyes were burning. I just cried and kept on cutting.
People are just too lazy
Scott Kustes on 04 Feb 2008 at 8:15 pm #
Haha Andrew! I’ve been there before…cutting an onion and wiping the tears away so I don’t slice off a finger to go with my dinner. It doesn’t bother me though because I understand that those same sulphur compounds lend healthful properties to my onions and my cooking. If people would just eat FOOD, there’s be no need for food science.
Anna,
“Just because ‘we can’ doesn’t mean ‘we should’.”
That sums up so much of what goes on in our food supply. And other areas too.
Cheers y’all
Scott
Allen Y on 05 Feb 2008 at 8:11 am #
This reminds me of a conversation I had with my 13 year-old last night.
“I COULD take a fork and stick it into an electrical outlet, that doesn’t mean it’s something you SHOULD do.”
A real cure for cancer…nah…we need tearless onions.
Dan on 05 Feb 2008 at 11:33 am #
We have a diving mask in the kitchen for when we discover that we have bought a particularly pungent batch of onions - works pretty well but you look downright eccentric if you have guests.
Here in Japan “no smell” garlic is often to be seen on the shelves. I suspect it suffers similar drawbacks to those you posit for the “no tears” onions.
Dan