Yes, it is asparagus season. I love this vegetable. Raw straight out of the garden, steamed with white wine and garlic, coated with olive oil and roasted on the grill, I can't get enough of it! Of course, for some of us that means plenty of malodorous urinary discharge. Yes, I'm talking about the infamous Asparagus Pee! The culprit - Asparagusic Acid. Derived from valine, this acid is unique to asparagus and appears to be the metabolic precursor to a number of odiferous sulfur-containing compounds. In its pure form, this colorless solid melts around 76 °C. For those with the enzyme to break it down (~40% of the population) the results appear in the urine usually within 15 minutes of ingestion. Interestingly, not everyone has the ability to smell the satisfying stench, thus complicating studies to determine why some have smelly piss and others do not. I am one of the lucky ones who can both produce copious quantities of metabolites such as methyl thioacrylate (among others) and delight in its pleasing perfume. For those of you deprived of this evolutionary gift, I have sympathy, as you will never truly enjoy the full experience of asparagus season.
(edited 5/8/07, 5:28 pm to fix structures)
Yes, it is asparagus season. I love this vegetable. Raw straight out of the garden, steamed with white wine and garlic, coated with olive oil and roasted on the grill, I can't get enough of it! Of course, for some of us that means plenty of malodorous urinary discharge. Yes, I'm talking about the infamous Asparagus Pee! The culprit - Asparagusic Acid. Derived from valine, this acid is unique to asparagus and appears to be the metabolic precursor to a number of odiferous sulfur-containing compounds. In its pure form, this colorless solid melts around 76 °C. For those with the enzyme to break it down (~40% of the population) the results appear in the urine usually within 15 minutes of ingestion. Interestingly, not everyone has the ability to smell the satisfying stench, thus complicating studies to determine why some have smelly piss and others do not. I am one of the lucky ones who can both produce copious quantities of metabolites such as methyl thioacrylate (among others) and delight in its pleasing perfume. For those of you deprived of this evolutionary gift, I have sympathy, as you will never truly enjoy the full experience of asparagus season.
(edited 5/8/07, 5:28 pm to fix structures)
