Eating raw apple or lettuce may help deodorize garlic breath, according to a study by scientists at the Ohio State University (OSU).
Garlic. Image credit: Couleur.
In the study, Dr. Sheryl Barringer and Rita Mirondo, both with the OSU Department of Food Science and Technology, gave participants 3 grams of softneck garlic cloves to chew for 25 seconds.
And then water (control); raw, juiced or heated apple; raw or heated lettuce; raw or juiced mint leaves; or green tea were consumed immediately.
The levels of the volatiles responsible for garlic breath (diallyl disulfide, allyl mercaptan, allyl methyl disulfide, and allyl methyl sulfide) were analyzed by selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry.
“From this study, mint leaves, raw apple, raw lettuce, heated apple, and heated lettuce showed the highest deodorizing effect on most garlic breath volatiles,” the authors said.
Raw apple and raw lettuce decreased the concentration of volatiles in breath by 50% or more compared to the control for the first 30 minutes.
Mint leaves had a higher deodorization level compared to raw apple and raw lettuce for all volatile compounds measured.
Apple juice and mint juice reduced the levels of volatiles, but not as effectively as chewing raw apple or raw mint.
Heated apple and heated lettuce also showed a deodorizing effect. This was probably due to a physical and chemical interaction of the food polymers with the volatile compounds.
Green tea showed no effect on most volatiles.
The deodorizing effect is based on a combination of factors, which include the presence of phenolic compounds, enzyme activity and the characteristics of the food material being used.
“Foods deodorize garlic breath through two mechanisms,” Mirondo and Dr. Barringer explained.
“First, enzymes in the raw foods help to destroy the odors, and then, phenolic compounds in both the raw and cooked foods destroy the volatiles.”
“This is why raw foods were generally more effective because they contain both the enzymes and the phenolic compounds.”
The team’s results were published online September 20, 2016 in the Journal of Food Science.
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Rita Mirondo & Sheryl Barringer. Deodorization of Garlic Breath by Foods, and the Role of Polyphenol Oxidase and Phenolic Compounds. Journal of Food Science, published online September 20, 2016; doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.13439
