SPERM ODOR

Sperm odor: what does it depend on?

The odor of the sperm depends on the presence of particular substances - such as spermine and spermidine - belonging to the group of polyamines. These substances also contribute significantly to the flavor of the sperm.

Furthermore, it has been seen that polyamines have a protective action against DNA and other nucleic acids necessary for protein synthesis. It is also hypothesized that they play a role in favoring sperm motility.

Spermine and spermidine are therefore important molecules for male fertility; in this regard, it has been suggested to use a specific integration of their precursor amino acids (arginine and ornithine) to improve male fertility. Among other things, these two amino acids are involved in the synthesis of nitric oxide, which is very important in the mechanisms of penile erection.

Foods with the smell of semen

Since the amino acid precursors of the molecules responsible for the odor of sperm are normally contained in food proteins, and since these in particular conditions are broken down into increasingly shorter amino acid chains, it is not uncommon for some foods to remember that of sperm with their smell.

Particularly:

sprouted seeds: the sprouting process consists of a series of enzymatic activations that split - among other things - the proteins into the individual amino acids that compose them;

improperly stored meat and fish: enzymatic and bacterium degradation transforms protein fragments into polyamines. Not surprisingly, in addition to spermine and spermidine, putrescine and cadaverine also fall into the group of polyamines, responsible for the typical smell of rotten meat;

fermented foods and aged cheeses;

cereals, legumes and mushrooms: they are rich in polyamines; in particular mushrooms, wheat germ and chestnuts are very rich in spermine.