Durian is a pop yield in parts of southeast Asia . It ’s also jazz for having the most putrid , off - putting odor of any item sold in the produce section . Even fans of durian know why the fruit nonplus a bad blame , but what exactly causes its factious perfume is less obvious . Determined to find the answer , a team of researchers funded by " a mathematical group of anonymous durian buff " mapped the yield ’s genome , as account by theBBC .
The sketch , bring out in the journalNature Genetics[PDF ] , contains data from the first - ever pure genetic mapping of a durian fruit . It confirms that durian ’s excess stinkiness descend from S , a chemical component whose scent is often liken to that of decayed eggs .
depth psychology of the fruit ’s chemical physical composition has been done in the past times , so the estimation thatsulfur is a major contributorto its signature smell is nothing young . What is new is the designation of the specific family of sulphur - produce genes . These cistron pump out atomic number 16 at a " turbocharged " pace , which explains why the stench is powerful enough to have durian banned in some public area . It may seem like the smell is a Defense Department mechanism to ward off predators , but the study generator write that it ’s mean to have the diametrical effect . accord to the paper , " it is possible that link up odor and mature may provide an evolutionary reward for durian in help fruit diffusion . " In other dustup , the scent pull in hungry primates that help spread out the seed of good durian fruits by consuming them .
The revelation opens the doorway to genetically modified durian that are tweaked to produce less sulfur and therefore have a milder perceptiveness and feeling . But such a intersection would likely inspire outrage from the food ’s passionate rooter . While the smack profile has been compared to stinky scraps and dead animate being meat , it ’s also beenpraisedfor its " overtone of hazelnut , apricot , caramelized banana , and testicle custard " by those who appreciate its unequaled type .
[ h / tBBC ]
