American researchers demonstrate the significant effects of a food that almost all of us have in our refrigerator in trapping the sulfur compounds in garlic, which cause bad breath.
We love it to spice up dishes in the kitchen but garlic is also feared for its effects on breath… A problem can be solved thanks to ONE food, according to researchers from Ohio State University (United States) whose results were published in the journal Molecules. Raw garlic contains alliinA sulfur compound which, when cut or crushed, transforms into allicin. Allicin is unstable and decomposed rapidly into several other sulfur compounds responsible for the unpleasant smell of garlic. Among these compounds, the most present are diallyl disulfide and theallylmercaptan. In their study, the authors used peeled garlic cloves, cut then kept for 30 minutes at room temperature before being fried or added to various treatments (water, natural whole milk yogurt, heating in boiling water, skimmed milk powder, etc.). They then measured the concentrations of the volatile compounds by comparing them to untreated garlic.
Frying garlic reduces volatile sulfur compounds, hence the odor
First observation: frying garlic reduced the concentration of almost all volatile sulfur compounds. Above all, a treatment allowed the garlic to be less odorous: the one where it was combined with yogurt. This food had a significant effect on the reduction of volatile compounds raw and fried garlic. The water, the fats and the proteins (including the whey and the casein) present in yogurt played a role key role in this neutralization process by creating a hydrophobic environment which made it possible to trap volatile sulfur compounds, thus reducing their concentration and, consequently, the unpleasant odor in the mouth. The study also showed that the pH of yogurt influenced the effectiveness of neutralizing the odor of garlic. A More acidic yogurt with a lower pH is more effective.
These findings could have significant implications in the food industry. By incorporating fats and proteins into food products containing garlic, manufacturers could reduce the strong smell of garlic after consumption. New products could be formulated to take advantage of the taste of garlic without the drawbacks of its odor. Follow-up studies are now awaited to confirm these results on bad breath.