Japanese Company Develops Onions That Won’t Make You Cry

Scientists at the Japanese company House Foods Groups have figured out a way to weaken the enzyme in an onion that makes people cry.

A Japanese food company that has spent over 10 years researching the properties of onions, has developed a version that won’t reduce one to tears. The variety is reportedly milder and won’t leave that lingering aroma on the hands or breath.

Scientists at House Foods Group have achieved this by using ion beam irradiation to weaken the alliinase enzymes along with another enzyme they previously discovered that are largely responsible for the body’s reaction to a cut onion.

Creating a tearless onion that maintained its flavor and nutrition was hypothesized in their 2002 paper which identified the chemical property in an onion that makes the eyes water.

These seemingly unpleasant effects are actually part of the bulb’s defense and survival mechanism to keep insects and animals from biting into it as it grows.