On Food and Cooking

Garlic on the Breath
Does the chemistry of garlic flavor offer
any help when it comes to dealing with
garlic breath? One major component of
garlic breath appears to be various
chemical relatives of skunk spray (e.g.,
methanethiol) that persist in the mouth.
Another component (methyl allyl sulfide)
is apparently generated from garlic as it
passes through the digestive system, and
peaks in the breath between 6 and 18 hours
after the meal. Residual thiols in the mouth
can be transformed into odorless molecules
by the browning enzymes in many raw
fruits and vegetables (p. 269), so eating a
salad or an apple will help. Mouthwashes
that contain strong oxidizing agents (e.g.,
chloramine) are also effective. Sulfides
from the digestive system are probably
beyond our reach!
One group of stem vegetables is inherently
tender: the tips of such crop plants as peas,