Why durians smell

But its fans remain fiercely protective over retaining its controversial scent. Yuck," said Manfred Man , adding that he would "never mess with nature". Jason Lim saw the potential in the durian discovery and shared his hope for new hybrid signature smells. Durian fans will know what I am talking about. Odours aside, the durian's ancestry was also revealed, believed to be dating back an estimated 65m years to the cacao plant. Zachary Tay hilariously summed up this revelation: "So we're basically eating chocolate.

Durian: Loved and loathed equally. The flesh of the soccer-ball-sized fruit is a popular snack in parts of Asia, and it has a scent likened to that of rotten onions mixed with a hot mountain of poopy diapers. Last week, researchers at Technical University of Munich in Germany released the results of their study, looking into the mystery of why durians smell the way they do.

It turns out that a rare amino acid called ethionine is to blame. The new study , published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, finds that, as a durian ripens, its ethionine content increases, releasing the smell.

A past study suggested eating large amounts of it could cause liver damage and cancer in rats, but scientists say more research needs to be done in that area. Someone weighing around lbs would have to eat more than 1, lbs of durian in a day for it to be comparable to the toxic levels fed to animals in earlier research. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. In the study, scientists found that genes involved in regulating sulphur pathways were more active in the Musang King than they were in less-smelly durians, and that they are only active when the fruit is ripe.

That gene, researchers also found, is expressed not only in the durian fruit but also in the leaves and root stems. So, why would durian fruit develop such a smell? The study of durians is likely not over yet. Further, The Guardian noted , several species are considered endangered or vulnerable, and knowing more about their DNA may help in protection efforts. Order by stock part number ». These dancers may stun you because they can't hear music.

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