To peel without tears: what are “Sunions”, these new onions that don’t make you cry ?

Le sunion est plus doux et sucré que les oignons jaunes classiques. ILLUSTRATION MAXPPP – Patrick Lefevre

La marque "Sunions" commercialise en France depuis le début d'année 2023 une variété hybride d'oignons qui ne fait pas pleurer quand on les épluche. 

Peeling an onion without shedding a tear is now possible. The German chemist BASF has developed a variety of onion that does not make you cry, the "Sunions".

This discovery is the result of 30 years of research and development in partnership with the University of Texas Sensory Evaluation Center ;Ohio, United States, specifies RTL. A new hybrid variety, Sunion was created from natural crosses between different varieties of sweet onions, without any genetic modification occurring.

Softer and sweeter

After harvest, during the summer, it takes about three months of maturation for them to lose the irritating gas they contain and can be sold in supermarkets.< /p>

In terms of taste, sunion is softer and sweeter than classic yellow onions, and in terms of price, it costs between 2.50 and 3 euros for a 500 gram fillet, or 5 to 6 euros per kg. 

S'they have been present confidentially for 2 years, and marketed in France since January 2023, Sunions' production will double this year, its manufacturer announces to BFMTV. After a pilot phase carried out with Carrefour and Grais Frais, it is now possible to find them on the shelves of Système U, Lidl and E. Leclerc. 

Why does onion make you cry ? 

Onions usually release a substance, propyl sulfoxide, when cut. Mixed with humidity in the air, this compound transforms into sulfuric acid and then irritates the eyes.  In fact, this "attack" is a defense mechanism developed by the plant to protect itself from any beast trying to eat it.