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Capsaicin

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Chilli Use

The Chemistry of Chilli Peppers

This page is about chilli peppers, the fruit of the Capsicum family of plants. It is these fruit which provide the 'heat' to food from across the world.

The idea for this site came to me as an avid chef, of  considerable scientific bent. I make a point of                understanding the chemistry involved in my cooking, and I particularly enjoy using and eating chillies. This site will investigate the chemicals present in these fruit,  what gives them their heat, and the effect of the   chemical on the body.

Capsaicinoids -  The chemical origin of heat in chillies. This page examines the chemicals responsible for the heat of chillies, and gives molecular models of some of the more common.


Analysis - The  chemical methods employed in the study of peppers. The use of HPLC and Mass         Spectroscopy on peppers, and some sample spectra.


The Scoville Scale - The standard way of measuring the heat within a pepper. Determined with HPLC.


The Effect of Chillies on the Body - What makes the Capsaicin taste hot, and what happens after that.


Endorphins - The release of these molecules is caused by the pain response from chillies, leading to a sense of happiness and well being.


Using Chillies -  Every good scientist performs some kind of experiment. Here is a rough guide to experimenting with chillies.


Hot Humour - Anecdotes and stories pertaining to chillies. No scientific merit whatsoever, but quite interesting none-the-less.


References - Some of the pages that helped me write this site, and a little about me.

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[DOI:10.6084/m9.figshare.5281324]

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