0 items ($0.00)
Please wait...
ARTICLESApril 2013 (7)
March 2013 (7)
February 2013 (9)
January 2013 (11)
December 2012 (8)
November 2012 (10)
October 2012 (9)
September 2012 (7)
August 2012 (7)
July 2012 (13)
June 2012 (9)
May 2012 (13)
April 2012 (12)
March 2012 (10)
February 2012 (12)
January 2012 (11)
December 2011 (12)
November 2011 (13)
October 2011 (12)
September 2011 (10)
August 2011 (15)
July 2011 (19)
June 2011 (17)
May 2011 (17)
April 2011 (18)
March 2011 (21)
February 2011 (20)
January 2011 (19)
December 2010 (18)
November 2010 (13)
October 2010 (14)
September 2010 (14)
August 2010 (12)
July 2010 (12)
June 2010 (6)
Onions have been an ingredient in food - and a cause of bad breath - since the Stone Age, if not before. The pungent plant is a good source of nutrients and vitamins, and many people find it quite tasty. However, the odor molecules packed into an onion bulb can leave anyone who eats it with a powerful case of halitosis.
The earliest known use of onions in cooking stems from at least 5,500 years ago. Onions may have originated in Asia, where cultures prized them for a key characteristic - they do not spoil in the winter, according to Magic Valley Growers.
Today, onions can be eaten raw, grilled, pickled or in a salad or chutney. However, it is difficult to escape one simple fact. Onions cause halitosis.
Maarse's Volatile Compounds in Foods and Beverages says that onions contain hundreds of volatile molecules, many of which contain sulfur. One of the primary odor compounds is 3,4-dimethyl-2,5-dioxo-2,5-dihydrothiophene, which smells similar to hydrogen sulfide, a molecule that gives rotten eggs their aroma.
As if that weren't bad enough, onions also contain the lachrymatory factor, a substance that cause eye irritation and tear production.
To avoid the oral odor and red eyes that onions can cause, individuals who like eating the pungent bulb may consider rinsing with a specialty breath freshener afterward.
