Japanese scientists create a tear-less onion

First there were square watermelons, then there were non-browning apples – now there’s tearless onions.

The latest food manipulation comes straight out of Japan where scientists have been testing onions for over a decade to weaken the enzyme that produces tears when the onion is sliced. House Foods Group is the developer of the special onion and used ion beam irradiation to weaken the allinase enzymes.

The company is the first to effectively remove the stinging and tear-inducing sensation people have while slicing onions. Two engineers involved in the project won the Ig Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2013.

While the specialty onions have been genetically manipulated, the changes have reportedly not lessened the taste of the vegetable. Even better, the onions are supposed to leave less of a smell on your hands and breath. Unfortunately for consumers, there are no plans at the moment to commercialize the onion.

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