Hi there,after years of battling to share my knowledge in food science with the world, I am finally here.
Today, I begin a journey that would spark a burning desire among food lovers in Ghana and the rest of the world. Haven acquired a BSc Food science and technology from the KNUST, Ghana; I have been inspired by a colleague to share all that I know in food science i.e food processing, food product development,food chemistry etc with the rest of the world.
So what am I going to blog about? I asked. Then I said to myself what better way to start blogging than to blog about the significance and functions of major ingredients that all and sundry use to make some delicious Ghanaian foods, that makes you hunger for more.
The ever delicious, Light Soup with Fufu, Banku with Okro Stew,Yam and Palava Sauce all contain one common ingredient onions. Can you imagine what the stew you ate yesterday would have been like without onions. Just think of it, eating Ga Kenkey with Shito and no Onions to accompany it? So let’s talk about Onions.
WHY DO ONIONS CAUSE IRRITATION TO THE EYE?
If you a typical Ghanaian women and love to cook, you may have a common experience with the irritation caused by onions. This irritation makes you cry when no one has beaten you, So what causes this irritations when cutting onions and how to you prevent them?
Onions are often chopped and used as ingredient in various hearty warm dishes like soups, stews, salads in combination with other ingredients: but not withstanding, they are often used as a main ingredient in their own right, for example in French onion soup or onion chutney.
Though most people enjoy chopped or sliced onions in their diet, they usually experience eye irritation in the process. This is due to the breakdown of amino acid sulphoxide into sulphenic acids. A specific sulfenic acid is rapidly rearranged resulting in the production of volatile gas called onion lachrymatory factor or LF which diffuses into the air and eventually reaches the eye, where it activates sensory neurons, creating a stinging sensation resulting in the tear glands produce tears to dilute and flush out the irritant.
PREVENTING EYE IRRITATION WHEN CUTTING ONIONS.
 |
| onions in my eye |
I believe you enjoy chewing chopped onions in your stew, but you hate the process of cutting this onion because of the irritation accompanying it. So how do we prevent the eye irritation when cutting onions?
Here are some few tips
- · Cut onions under running water or submerged in a basin of water.
- · Chilling or freezing onions prevents the enzymes from activating, limiting the amount of gas generated
- · Not cutting off the root of the onion (or by doing it last), as the root of the onion has a higher concentration of enzymes
- · Using a sharp blade to chop onions will limit the cell damage and the release of enzymes that drive the irritation response.
- · Having a fan blow the gas away from the eyes
- · Wearing goggles or any eye protection that creates a seal around the eye.
The amount of sulfenic acids and LF released and the irritation effect differs among different species of onions eg. Spring or green onions.
WHAT NEXT?
Well, in my next post I would like to take you on the journey down the Onion road. We would learn about some health benefits of onions. So that when you visit your favorite Kenkey joint, you can force Akwele Mami to add more onions to your shito. Stay tuned.
