| MECHANISM OF ACTION |
Garlic's heat explained The sulfur compound allicin (shown) has been identified as the source of garlic's characteristic burning and prickling flavor (Curr. Biol. 2005, 15, 929). Despite garlic's widespread popularity as a food ingredient and an herbal remedy, little is known about the source of its distinctive pungency. Allicin is an unstable compound produced when raw garlic is bruised, cut, or crushed. A team led by Ardem Patapoutian of Scripps Research Institute and the Genomics Institute of Novartis Research Foundation now has shown that the binding of this molecule to the ion channels TRPA1 and TRPV1 gives rise to garlic's distinctive pungency. These channels stud the outside of pain-sensing neurons located in the mouth and tongue. The researchers suggest that garlic loses its pungency when baked because the garlic enzyme responsible for synthesizing allicin is inactivated when heated. |
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