Get rid of that garlicky breath!

The solution to vanquishing your garlic-induced bad breath could be lying in your fridge. — AFP

Yoghurt is already recommended as part of a healthy diet for being good for your bones and gut microbiota.

But now, yet another benefit has been revealed by researchers: its capacity to combat bad breath resulting from eating garlic.

Garlic is found in a variety of dishes from many cultures: garlic bread, snails in garlic butter, spaghetti aglio e olio and much, much more.

When you’ve indulged in a feast of traditional recipes that draw their piquancy and fragrance from garlic, it’s normal that your breath bears some telltale signs.

However, there are certain occasions, such as a romantic date, when you might like a quick fresh breath fix.

The culprit behind this odour is found in the components of garlic.

When a clove is cut, alliin is transformed by the enzyme alliinase into allicin.

Allicin is responsible for garlic’s distinctive fragrance as it breaks down into volatile byproducts that have a pungent aroma.

Coffee, lemon, cloves, cinnamon ... for decades, people have been recommending various folk remedies for counteracting bad breath, usually with limited success.

But American researchers at Ohio State University appear to have found the solution.

Publishing their research in the scientific journal Molecules, they have identified yoghurt as a means of neutralising the unpleasant smell of raw garlic.

Stirred, Greek, skyr ... there are a wide range of different types of yoghurt, and the ones that work best in this regard are those that contain fat.

The fats and proteins in yoghurt appear to have the capacity for deodorisation.

The researchers’ work thus suggests Greek-style yoghurt as a “remedy” for this type of bad breath.

In 2010, a similar study published by the Institute of Food Technologists recommended milk as a means of combating malodorous breath caused by garlic.

Once again, fat was presented as the effective antidote, so it must be whole milk. – AFP Relaxnews