Mondo Knows Facts
Horseradish loses its bite in hot liquid
Heat deactivates the enzyme that creates its volatile heat
Freshly grated horseradish is fierce because myrosinase converts sinigrin into allyl isothiocyanate within minutes of the root being cut. That enzyme works best at room temperature and is destroyed by heat, so adding the root to a simmering sauce tempers it considerably. Vinegar stops the reaction, which is why prepared horseradish is packed in acid.
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Tags: horseradish, enzymes, heat
Horseradish loses its bite in hot liquid: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- Heat deactivates the enzyme that creates its volatile heat. The figure is taken from Encyclopaedia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
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- Yes. It sits on the Food shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
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