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Capsaicin (8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) (/ k æ p ˈ s eɪ s ɪ n / or / k æ p ˈ s eɪ ə s ɪ n /) is an active component of chili peppers, which are plants belonging to the genus Capsicum. It is a potent irritant for mammals, including humans, and produces a sensation of burning in any tissue with which it comes into contact.
The class of compounds causing pungency in plants such as chili peppers is called capsaicinoids, which display a linear correlation between concentration and Scoville scale, and may vary in content during ripening. [40] Capsaicin is the major capsaicinoid in chili peppers. [5]
Chili peppers are eaten by birds living in the chili peppers' natural range, possibly contributing to seed dispersal and evolution of the protective capsaicin in chili peppers, as a bird in flight can spread the seeds further away from the parent plant after they pass through its digestive system than any land or tree dwelling mammal could do ...
Different peppers contain different concentrations of capsaicin, which is measured using the Scoville scale, Dr. Paul Terry, professor of epidemiology at the University of Tennessee Medical Center ...
Capsaicin gives peppers heat and is measured using Scoville heat units (SHUs), a scale ranging from bell peppers at 0 SHUs to the new hottest pepper in the world, Pepper X, at 2.693 million ...
Capsaicin, present in chili peppers, has been widely studied for its potential anti-obesity effects. Many studies suggest it aids in weight reduction, conflicting with the results of the present ...
A variety that produces capsaicin is colloquially known as a hot pepper or chili pepper. In British English , the sweet varieties are called "peppers" [ 12 ] and the hot varieties "chillies", [ 13 ] whereas in Australian English and Indian English , the name "capsicum" is commonly used for bell peppers exclusively and "chilli" is often used to ...
The most recognized Capsicum without capsaicin is the bell pepper, [43] a cultivar of Capsicum annuum, which has a zero rating on the Scoville scale. The lack of capsaicin in bell peppers is due to a recessive gene that eliminates capsaicin and, consequently, the hot taste usually associated with the rest of the genus Capsicum. [44]