Tearless onion

Science World, Dec 13, 2002

Cry more over sliced onions! With a little tinkering, scientists may be able to disarm nature's tear bombs. Japanese researcher Shinsuke Imai recently pinpointed the eye-irritating chemical that cut-up onions release: It's called lachrymatory-factor synthase. Imai says he can eliminate the gene (basic hereditary unit) that creates the tear-jerker chemical--without ruining an onion's taste.

Good news for cooks, but would it be for the onion? "It's reasonable to assume that Mother Nature incorporated the chemical to afford some protection," says chemist Eric Block at the State University of New York in Albany.