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Chemists Kill Chitlin Stink

Here’s a strange tale of two previously unrelated food products. First: chitlins, that delicacy made of fried pig intestines. They’re well-loved throughout the South, especially during the upcoming holiday season. But the smell of them cooking inspires significantly less affection. Because the cooking process sometimes smells like, well, feces.

有这么两种食物，它们看似毫不相干，却有着微妙的联系。一种是用油炸猪大肠做的，这种食品颇受美国南部人的欢迎，在即将到来的假期中尤其如此。但大肠烹调时散发出来的气味实在令人作呕，有时候闻起来就像是——(⊙o⊙)…大粪的味道……

Researchers in Japan thought that cilantro could help. Because cilantro is used in a variety of cuisines around the world to mask smells, as well as to add distinctive flavors. And in a previous study, the research team had shown that cilantro can mask the cooking-chitlin stench.

日本的研究人员认为芫荽有助去除这种难闻气味。原因就是世界各地都在用芫荽辅助烹调以掩盖怪味，当然也用它来调味。此前就有研究表明，芫荽能够掩盖烹饪大肠时的恶臭。

In the new research, in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, they isolated cilantro’s volatile compounds and tested each one for its odor-fighting power. Many seemed to lessen the stink, but one in particular, according to human sniffers, entirely cancels out the odor. [Hiromi Ikeura et al., "Identification of (E,E)-2,4-Undecadienal from Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) as a Highly Effective Deodorant Compound against the Offensive Odor of Porcine Large Intestine"]

《农业化学与食品化学杂志》上发表的一项最新研究中，研究人员将芫荽挥发物分离出来，然后逐个进行除臭能力测试。很多挥发物能够减轻臭味，但根据人类嗅觉判断，其中有一种能够完全掩盖臭味。

It’s called (E,E)-2,4-Undecadienal. It works at a very low concentration—10 parts per billion—so you can’t smell the compound. It’s not masking the chitlin odor, it’s actually neutralizing it. So it’s not just better living through chemistry. It’s better chitlins too.

芫荽的这种挥发物化学名称为E,E-2,4-十一烷二烯醛。这种物质作用时浓度很低，大概在百万分之十左右（10ppm），因此人们几乎闻不到它的味道。这种物质并不是掩盖大肠的臭味，而是将臭味中和了。所以说嘛，化学让生活更美好！(⊙o⊙)…也让猪大肠更美味啦~

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