Why Does Durian Fruit Smell So Bad? Scientists Examine the Chemicals That Make This Asian Crop Stink

In Southeast Asia, a tropical fruit called durian is highly appreciated by consumers due to its great taste and being highly nutritious. However, it is also famous for being the stinkiest fruit in the world.

What Is Durian Fruit?

Durian (Durio zibethinus) is a fruit native to southern China and Southeast Asia. The fruit can grow up to one foot long and six inches wide. Typically, a durian fruit contains about 2 cups of edible pulp.

This tropical fruit is distinguished by its large size and spiky, hard outer shell, which must be split open to eat the flesh. Its custard-like flesh contains large seeds and has a pungent smell. It ranges in color from yellow, white, red, or green.

Durian fruit has become popular for having a powerful smell, described as a combination of sewage, sulfur, honey, fruit, and roasted and rotting onions. The overpowering aroma can linger for several days and may evoke reactions such as intense disgust. Because of its reputation for having an unpleasant smell, durian is banned in many hotels and public transport systems in Southeast Asia.

Despite its notorious stench, durian is used in sweet and savory dishes. Compared with most other fruits, it is very high in vitamins and minerals, which makes it one of the most nutritious fruits worldwide. One cup of durian pulp contains fiber, protein, folate, manganese, magnesium, and more.

Why Does Durian Fruit Smell So Terrible?

There are mixed opinions regarding the smell of durian fruit. Some people love its aroma, while others hate it.

In a study conducted in 2012, a team of researchers from the German Research Center for Food Chemistry tries to discover how durian fruit produces such a potent stench. The group was led by Jia-Ziao Li and used Thai durians whose aroma extract was broken down with a mass spectrometer and gas chromatograph.

The analysis revealed 50 discrete compounds in the fruit responsible for its unusual aroma. These include eight compounds that have not been detected in durians before and four unknown to the scientific community.

Li and his colleagues suggested that durian's powerful smell is not produced by a single compound but by a mixture of different chemicals. The team connected each compound with a particular odor.

Another interesting fact is that none of the compounds individually match the characteristic durian smell. They range widely and are labeled as fruity, skunky, rubbery, burnt, metallic, cheese, honey, onion, and garlic. Most of these compounds have been detected in other substances, such as yeast extract, leeks, cooked beef, and dried squid.

In a separate study conducted in 2017, scientists investigated the compounds responsible for the smell of the Musang King variety of durian, which is popular in Malaysia. It was found that genes regulate the sulfur pathways in durian, which are only active when the fruit is ripe.

Check out more news and information on Durian in Science Times.