May 22, 2025 08:08 PM
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1084824
INTRO: If you’ve ever regretted ordering a spicy meal, take note: A new study identifying molecules that suppress the heat of chili peppers hints at the possibility of adapting these compounds into an “anti-spice” condiment for food that’s too fiery to eat.
The research helps explain differences in chili pepper pungency, or spiciness, by identifying three compounds in a range of pepper samples that chemical analysis predicted, and study participants on a tasting panel confirmed, are linked to lower heat intensity.
The findings have multiple potential applications: customized chili pepper breeding, a pain-relief alternative to capsaicin and, in homes with a range of culinary spice sensitivities, a new condiment to put in the pantry.
“If you’re at home and you’ve ordered cuisine that has spice to it that’s a little too hot for some tastes, you can just sprinkle on a form of chili pepper that has got these suppressant agents in them that will dial it down,” said senior study author Devin Peterson, professor of food science and technology at The Ohio State University.
“I think the idea of using a natural material as an anti-spice, especially for somebody with kids, would have value as a household ingredient.”
The research was published online May 14 in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry... (MORE - details, no ads)
INTRO: If you’ve ever regretted ordering a spicy meal, take note: A new study identifying molecules that suppress the heat of chili peppers hints at the possibility of adapting these compounds into an “anti-spice” condiment for food that’s too fiery to eat.
The research helps explain differences in chili pepper pungency, or spiciness, by identifying three compounds in a range of pepper samples that chemical analysis predicted, and study participants on a tasting panel confirmed, are linked to lower heat intensity.
The findings have multiple potential applications: customized chili pepper breeding, a pain-relief alternative to capsaicin and, in homes with a range of culinary spice sensitivities, a new condiment to put in the pantry.
“If you’re at home and you’ve ordered cuisine that has spice to it that’s a little too hot for some tastes, you can just sprinkle on a form of chili pepper that has got these suppressant agents in them that will dial it down,” said senior study author Devin Peterson, professor of food science and technology at The Ohio State University.
“I think the idea of using a natural material as an anti-spice, especially for somebody with kids, would have value as a household ingredient.”
The research was published online May 14 in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry... (MORE - details, no ads)