Sperm Odor

Sperm smell: what does it depend on?

The smell of sperm depends on the presence of particular substances - such as spermine and spermidine - belonging to the polyamine group. These substances also contribute significantly to the taste of the sperm.

Rather than acting as a sexual attraction, the presence of these "aromatic" substances gives the sperm an important anti-infective action, protecting it from infectious agents. In fact, polyamines are degraded by an enzyme (diamino-oxidase) which transforms them into aldehydes; these, besides being particularly aromatic, are extremely toxic for bacteria.

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

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. These two amino acids, among other things, are involved in the synthesis of nitric oxide, which is very important in penile erection mechanisms.

Food with sperm smell

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

In particular:

• sprouted seeds: the sprouting process consists of a series of enzymatic activations that split - among other things - the proteins in the single amino acids that compose them;
• incorrectly preserved meat and fish: enzymatic and bacteriological degradation transforms protein fragments into polyamines. Not surprisingly, in the group of polyamines fall - in addition to spermine and spermidine - also putrescine and cadaverine, responsible for the typical smell of rotten meat;
• fermented foods and aged cheeses;
• cereals, legumes and mushrooms: they are rich in polyamines; in particular the mushrooms, the wheat germ and the chestnuts are very rich in spermine.

See also: Penis Smelling - Smell of the Penis