Where does the smell of cilantro come from? Is your love for it determined by your genes?

This article was reviewed by Sun Hai, a plant science writer

I heard today is "World Hate Cilantro Day"?!

People have always had two extreme opinions about coriander: one is that it has a pleasant aroma, and the other is that it stinks.

I don’t know if you have heard this saying, but whether you like to eat coriander is determined by your genes.

By analyzing the chemical composition of coriander leaves, scientists found about 40 compounds, 82% of which were aldehydes and 17% were alcohols, so aldehyde compounds are the main source of coriander's strong smell.

A 2012 study suggested that a mutation in the receptor OR6A2 may be one of the reasons why people don't like cilantro.

People who don’t like coriander have a gene called “OR6A2” on chromosome 11. This gene is related to the olfactory receptors and is very sensitive to aldehyde compounds. People who have this gene or who have not mutated this gene will more easily smell coriander as a stink bug.

The gases released by soap and bed bugs both contain aldehyde compounds, so this is why some people are repelled by the smell of cilantro, thinking that it smells like bed bugs and soap.

But strictly speaking, the evidence for this hypothesis is not sufficient so far. This 2012 study particularly emphasized the role of some genes (especially "OR6A2"). In fact, this gene is just an ideal hypothesis of odor receptors. The conclusion that "genes determine whether you like coriander or not" is based on the fact that this odor receptor can recognize specific aldehydes in coriander that are related to the "soap scent". "There is currently no data to show which odors can activate the receptor OR6A2." The sense of smell, taste, and trigeminal nerve may all play a role in the liking and aversion to coriander.

Furthermore, multiple studies have shown that how humans feel about cilantro also depends on cultural context. Whether we like cilantro or not may have as much to do with where we grew up as with how we feel and think when we eat it.

In fact, the content of various nutrients in coriander is not low, the most important ones are vitamin C, dietary fiber, carotene, potassium, etc. As a seasoning vegetable, coriander is generally not cooked at high temperatures, which can prevent the loss of vitamin C. At the same time, the calcium content in coriander is also very high, and there are many volatile oil substances that can stimulate appetite.

Wu Yan, from the Department of Nutrition at Union Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, said that if you are not allergic to coriander, you can slowly try it in small amounts and you may start to like it over time.

Here @If you don’t like coriander, would you like to try it more?

Science China (ID: Science_China) compiled from Health Times and CCTV Video

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