About 15 minutes into my research
on capsaicin I felt like my chemistry or biology teacher would be giving me a
quiz. I never realized how much
scientific information there is about this.
No matter how complicated, though, if you want to understand why you get
that burning sensation when you eat chile peppers, you must delve into the
world of science. So put on your
thinking cap and join me on what I hope is an interesting, helpful, and fun journey
into the heat of the pepper.
Let’s start with how we found out about Capsaicin in
the first place.
History of Capsaicin
The first scientist to
extract capsaicin, although not in a pure form, was Christian Friedrich Bucholz
(1770-1818) in 1816. He called his
extract ‘capsicin’ after the genus Capsicum,
to which chile peppers belong.
Two scientists in the
1870’s, Rudolf Buckheim a pharmacologist and Endre Hogyes a doctor, both
theorized that Capsicol (partially purified Capsaicin) was the element of a
chile that caused a burning sensation when it came in contact with the mucous
membranes.
In 1876, the next scientist
to isolate the compound was John Clough Thresh (1850-1932). He also was not able to obtain it in its
purest form, but called it ‘capsaicin.’
Karl Micko was the first to
isolate Capsaicin in a pure form in 1898.
Partially elucidating it’s
chemical structure, E.K. Nelson also determined the empirical scientific
formula for Capsaicin in 1919.
Two scientists were able to
synthesize Capsaicin in 1930, E. Spath and
S.F. Darling.
Japanese scientists, S.
Kosuge and Y. Inagaki, joined in on the hot fun by isolating similar substances within the
chiles and calling them Capsaicinoids in 1961.
Now let’s move on to some basics.
Basic Information
Capsaicin is one of the
capsaicinoids found in chile peppers.
The others are dihydrocapsaicin, nordihydrocapsaicin,
homodihyrocapsaicin, and homocapsaicin.
Each of these capsaicinoids has it’s own heat level on the Scoville
Scale. This highest are capsaicin and
dihydrocapsaicin who both weigh in at 16 million SHU. Nordihydrocapsaicin weighs in at 91,000. SHU
and the other two are at the bottom with 86,000. SHU.
Capsaicin, and the other
capsaicinoids are insoluble in water, tasteless, odorless, and colorless. (Scientifically
speaking this means that they are hydrophobic)
Capsaicinoids have a waxy or crystalline consistency and are a part of the
Vanilloid family. To be more technical,
they bind to the Vanilloid receptor subtype 1.
Wikipedia goes into super scientific explanations for all this and even
shows the locations on the periodic table of elements. (See my Reference section)
The highest concentration of
capsaicin in the chiles themselves is in the pith or vein of the chile and in
the seeds that cling to this area.
Removing the seeds and veins (using gloves) can help reduce the amount
of heat from the peppers you are using when cooking.
The Capsaicin in chile
peppers is considered toxic. In high
enough quantities, or with prolonged exposure, capsaicin requires protective
gear in order for it to be safe for humans to work with. Goggles, gloves, and even respirators can be
necessary when working with peppers that have high capsaicin levels. Capsaicin can even be lethal if inhaled or
ingested in high doses. (Please be
careful when working with your chiles. Flaming Garden is always careful, especially
with the Habanero and Jolokia peppers.)
Now, just in case you forgot your gloves or breathed in
too deeply when rinsing that pan with water…..
Treatment for Exposure
If you get capsaicin on your
skin, use vegetable or paraffin oil, soap and water, petroleum jelly or polyethylene
glycol to remove the excess. Capsaicin
is soluble in these. However, for the
capsaicin that has already been absorbed into the skin, you will get that
burning sensation until it wears away.
Creams, aloe, cold cloths, ice, cold air, and gels will cool the
affected area until the burning wears away.
**It is extremely important
that you DO NOT touch your face or eyes if you get Capsaicin on your
hands. Wash your hands extremely well
with soap and water before touching anything, including your clothes. You may need to see a doctor if you get any
in your eyes because ophthalmic cream or lidocaine gel may be necessary to
reduce the burning irritation.
If ingested, try cold dairy
products, such as milk, or a room temperature sugar solution to reduce the
digestive discomfort. Antacids will not
provide relief for this type of tummy trouble.
Nebulizers, antihistamines
or corticosteroids may be necessary if asthma or bronchial irritation occurs
from inhalation exposure.
To clean surfaces when you
have finished cooking with your Jolokia Peppers, use isopropyl alcohol because
Capsaicin is soluble in this.
Finally, the film strip at the end of the lesson!
Interesting Tidbits
Medical research is finding
that capsaicin can be used to treat arthritis, psoriasis and shingles
pain. This is due to a complicated
relationship between the heat response in our bodies and the capsaicin itself. There is also research being done to
determine if Cayenne Pepper may be useful in weight loss. Another interesting medical tidbit is that
diabetes treatment is on the list of diseases that may be helped by capsaicin.
Some reactions in our body
to capsaicin that you may not realize are rapid heartbeat and an increased
metabolism. I also found it interesting
that many people become addicted to the burning sensation they get from
hot/spicy foods. The burning sensation
sends a message to our brains to release endorphins to help us feel
better. These endorphins in some may
become so high that they are intoxicating, so to speak.
The function of capsaicin in
the chile plant is to deter herbivores and fungi from eating the fruit/chile which contains the seeds. Birds are
unaffected by the capsaicin so they are able to carry the seeds for
germination.
You made it to the end of class and are hopefully
awake!
Closing
There is no quiz coming,
unless I see you at an event and you admit you read this blog. Just
kidding!
References
