Capsaicin
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Figure
1. Hot peppers. From Pepper continuum by
Woodleywonderworks, 2009, http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/3880400014/.
Copyright 2009 by Woodleywonderworks. Reprinted with permission.
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Hot peppers. Some love them, some hate
them. Some wonder why they cause a burning sensation in their mouth. Well, I’m
here to tell you: it’s because of a chemical called capsaicin.
Capsaicin is found in all types of
red peppers, excluding bell peppers, such as habanero, jalapeno, banana,
cayenne and chili peppers (Reschke, n.d., Cayenne pepper heat units, para. 20).
The white part of the pepper where the seeds are attached is where the
capsaicin is actually produced
(Bosland, & Votava, 2000, p. 92). The hotter the pepper
is, the more capsaicin it contains (Bellringer, n.d., The Scoville Scale, para.
2). The hotness of a pepper is usually presented as a “Scoville rating”, which
is based on how hot the pepper actually tastes, relative to other types of
peppers. (Bosland, &
Votava, 2ooo, p. 93-94). Here are some examples of different
Scoville ratings using Scoville Heat Units (SHU) as the units:
Pure
capsaicin = 16,000,000 SHU
Habanero
pepper = 100,000-350,000 SHU
Jalapeno
pepper = 2,500-8,000 SHU
Red
bell pepper = 0 SHU
(Reschke,
n.d., Cayenne pepper heat units, para. 15-20)
After being extracted from peppers,
capsaicin is a fairly heavy, non-volatile and odorless chemical compound. Its
structure forms a long tail full of carbon atoms, which allows capsaicin to
dissolve in fats but not in water. If you enjoy eating spicy food, you will
know that you cannot get rid of the burn by drinking water. You have to drink
something high in fat, such as milk. (Senese, 2010, para. unknown).
So what actually makes capsaicin feel
hot? Capsaicin is not detected by our taste buds. Instead, it binds to pain
receptors in our mouths, which sends a signal to our brain to feel pain. This
causes a release of endorphins, a chemical that gives the body a “good”
feeling. (Bosland, &
Votava, 2ooo, p. 92-93). Continuing to eat hot peppers will, over
time, cause the pain receptors to lose their sensitivity. This allows you to
tolerate hotter and hotter peppers while feeling the same effects. (Bellringer,
n.d., The Effect of Chillies on the Body, para. 2).
Besides making peppers hot,
capsaicin has many other uses. It can be used as a topical pain reliever for
things like sore muscles (Bosland,
& Votava, 2ooo, p. 94) and is found in pepper spray, insect
repellants, insecticides and animal repellants. Capsaicin is even found in some
cosmetics. (National Pesticide Information Center, 2008, p. 1-2).
And there you have it – capsaicin in
a nutshell. Now you have something to blame when your nose runs, eyes water and
mouth burns. Happy eating!
References
Bellringer,
M. (n.d). The chemistry of chilli peppers. Retrieved November 16, 2013, from
Bosland, P. W. & Votava,
E. J. (2ooo). Peppers: Vegetables and spice capsicums. New York,
NY: CABI
National
Pesticide Information Center, Oregon State University Extension Services.
(2008).
Reschke,
G. (n.d). Your cayenne pepper guide. Retrieved November 16, 2013, from
Senese,
F. (2010). Fire and spice: The molecular basis for flavor. Retrieved November
16, 2013,
Woodleywonderworks
(Creator). (2009, September 1). Pepper
continuum [Online image].
Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/3880400014/ 
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