Close X
Sunday, November 24, 2024
ADVT 
Interesting

Introducing the Sunion, an Onion That Doesn't Make You Cry When You Chop It

Darpan News Desk IANS, 26 Jan, 2018 12:27 PM
    If you've ever had to chop an onion, you probably know that it's one of the most annoying cooking experiences. It just fills your eyes with tears and, apart from wearing goggles, there's not too much you can do about it.
     
     
    Scientists and farmers have been working on a solution to this problem for decades, and they've apparently come up with a tearless onion.
     
     
    Called the "Sunion", this new vegetable is the result of a natural cross-breeding program that's been going on farms in Nevada and Washington since the 1980s, which should put consumers worried about genetically-modified produce at ease. 
     
     
    It's supposedly a sweet, mild-tasting onion that doesn't leave that strong, pungent aftertaste, but what really sets it apart from most other onion varieties is that it doesn't cause teary eyes when it's chopped.
     
     
    When you cut into a normal onion, it releases a volatile compound called lachrymatory-factor synthase, and when that hits your eyes, your body produces tears to reduce irritation. Now, the interesting thing about regular onions is that the amounts of lachrymatory-factor synthase increase the longer the vegetables are stored, so the older they, the more you cry.
     
     
     
     
    In Sunions, on the other hand, the levels of that annoying volatile compound drop the more time goes by, until it lo longer has any effect on your eyes when you cut it.
     
     
    That's what Sunion growers are claiming anyway, but reports from those lucky enough to have tried them seem to confirm these claims. The Huffington Post had three of its reporters chop some Sunions, and apparently, none of them shed a single tear. According to the Washington Post, they don't have the pungency of regular onions and are so sweet that you can eat them "like popcorn".
     
     
    So the good news is that tearless onions are now a real thing. The bad news is that they are currently only grown in Washington and Nevada, and even though they are sold nationwide, they are still in relatively short supply. The first Sunion batches hit the shelves of grocery stores in December, but we'll probably start seeing them in most grocery shops and supermarkets in the next few years, as more people learn about them.
     
     
    Interestingly, even though Sunions are being marketed as the world's first tearless onions, back in 2015, from Japanese company House Foods Group. They claimed to have also created the world's first "tear-free" onion, by disabling the compounds that the popular vegetable releases when chopped. However, they irradiated the onions to do it, which was bound to keep some consumers away.

    MORE Interesting ARTICLES

    Sardarji Aapka France Ka Visa Ho Gaya Hai: Sushma Swaraj Helps Parents Of Ailing Indian Abroad Get V

    Sardarji Aapka France Ka Visa Ho Gaya Hai: Sushma Swaraj Helps Parents Of Ailing Indian Abroad Get V
    Reaching out to yet another distressed national abroad, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has come to the aid of an Indian hospitalised in France with blood infection, and helped his parents get visas to visit him.

    Sardarji Aapka France Ka Visa Ho Gaya Hai: Sushma Swaraj Helps Parents Of Ailing Indian Abroad Get V

    US Man Arrested For Smuggling King Cobras In Potato Chip Cans!

    US Man Arrested For Smuggling King Cobras In Potato Chip Cans!
    In a shocking incident, a 34-year-old man from the United States was arrested for smuggling deadly king cobras inside cans of potato chips.

    US Man Arrested For Smuggling King Cobras In Potato Chip Cans!

    Pollution Responsible For Premature, Underweight Infant Birth

    Pollution Responsible For Premature, Underweight Infant Birth
    According to a recent study, air pollution could be responsible for premature and underweight birth of an infant.

    Pollution Responsible For Premature, Underweight Infant Birth

    Man, Offloaded From Flight, Gets Robbed By Taxi Driver In Mumbai

    Man, Offloaded From Flight, Gets Robbed By Taxi Driver In Mumbai
    Taking advantage of his inebriated state, Sheikh and his friend allegedly took away cash and jewellery worth Rs. 95,000 that R Parmar was carrying.

    Man, Offloaded From Flight, Gets Robbed By Taxi Driver In Mumbai

    Baa Baa Land Trailer: 'Most BORING Movie Ever' – 8 Hours Of Sheep In Slow-Motion WATCH

    Baa Baa Land Trailer: 'Most BORING Movie Ever' – 8 Hours Of Sheep In Slow-Motion WATCH
    Filmmakers usually strive to make their productions as entertaining and engaging as possible, but the people behind "Baa Baa Land", an epic 8-hour movie scheduled for release this September, set out to do just the opposite.

    Baa Baa Land Trailer: 'Most BORING Movie Ever' – 8 Hours Of Sheep In Slow-Motion WATCH

    This Lucknow Firm Wants To Deliver Your Food... Via Drones. Watch Video

    This Lucknow Firm Wants To Deliver Your Food... Via Drones. Watch Video
    "By Using Drones, We Want To Reduce The Food Delivery Time To 1/3rd Of The Current Time, Which Is 45 Minutes."

    This Lucknow Firm Wants To Deliver Your Food... Via Drones. Watch Video