Have you ever cut and peeled an onion and your eyes started tearing up? Have you ever been close to an onion and your eyes just started tearing up? Do you know why?
Well, when you cut an onion it releases Amino acid's known as sulfuric acids. Which then mixes with enzymes. It creates a gas and stimulates the lachrymal glands in your eyes. The sulfuric acid hurts and burns your eyes releasing water.
Have you ever gotten something in your eyes and they tear up? It's because your eyes try to flush out anything harmful. In this case, with the onions, your eyes try to flush out what's irritating your eyes.
These are called reflex tears. There are three different kind of tears, basal tears, psychic tears and reflex tears. The basal tears are to lubricate your eyes and the psychic tears are from emotions. Reflex tears are from when your eyes are irritated and such.
Not all onions make you cry. For example, the vidalia onion, for instance, contains low levels of sulfide which is has a weaker lachrymatory reaction.
Some people wear goggles to prevent themselves from crying. Like in the picture at the top. There are different ways to prevent yourself from crying from onions. Such as...soaking them or cutting them under water!
Has any other ways worked for you? If so, post below!
Sources:
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I helped my little sister do a science experiment on why onions make us cry! I think its a pretty cool defense mechanism onions have. And it is true that an enzyme in the onion is what makes us cry...thats why when you cook onions their no longer make you cry but are rather sweet and sugary...because the enzyme is denatured when it is heated.
ReplyDeleteWhy do chefs not cry when they cut them then? have they just built up a resistance to them?
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ReplyDeleteSo, what if, say, people lacked the ability to make correct connections to these glands, or lacked them altogether, and therefore could not make these reflex tears to flush them out, how would that damage their eyes, could it possibly blind them?
ReplyDeleteSulfur is known for giving off a bad smell, is that the reason why it smells so bad? If not, do you know what it is?
ReplyDeletei hate cutting onions
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