Chili and Salsa Pre-Class Homework

1. To what family does capsaicin belong?
      Capsaicin belongs to the vanilloid family of molecules.

2. How is capsaicin different from the other molecules in its family?
      This molecule is different from others in its family in that it has the highest moleculer weight and its side chain contains a polar amid (NHCO) group. This makes the molecules have a very low volatility and also makes it completely odorless.

3. Why is drinking water not useful for reducing the burning sensation from eating a chili or food that contains chili? If you feel “hotness” in your mouth, what should you drink? and why?
      This is because capsaicin is insoluble in cold water. Simply drinking water is not going to dissolve the molecules on your tongue, so the burning sensation will continue. If you feel hotness you should drink milk. This is because milk contains casein, with is a fat-loving substance that is able to surround the fatty capsaicin molecule and wash it away off your tongue.

4. What is a Scoville Unit?
      This is a unit used to determine the heat level of a wide variety of chilis. In this test, humans taste a chili sample and evaluate how many parts of sugar water it takes in order to neutralize the heat of the chili so that its pungent taste is no longer noticeable. This dilution is called the Scoville Heat Unit. The number means the higher the unit, the hotter the pepper.

5. Look up the 3 hottest chili’s according to their Scoville index. Google the names of these chili’s and see if you can find a picture of these chili’s to post on your blog (you may find some in the chili glossary at the above site)

Bhut Jolokia: 1,001,304 SHU’s

see above.

Dorset Naga: 855,000 SHU’s

see above.

Tezpur: 855,000 SHU’s
see above.

6. Capsinoids are considered less pungent than capsaicinoids. Look up the term “pungent”. What does it mean?
Site used: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pungent
       Pungent means “sharply painful”. It also means having a sharp or irritating sensation or an intense flavor or odor.

7. Although you can buy creams containing capsaicin, how effective are they at controlling pain according to this article?
      According to this article, adding capsaicin to creams has a moderate to poor effect on chronic pain.

8. In table 1, what is the difference in the structure between capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin? What is the difference in the structure between capsaicin and homocapsaicin?
      The difference between capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin is that capsaicin has an extra double bond in its hydrogen chain. This means it has 27 hydrogen instead of 29 hydrogen like dihydrocapsaicin. The difference between capsaicin and homocapsaicin is that they are mirror images of each other. Homocapsaicin has a carbon group sticking downward at the end of the long chain, whereas capsaicin has it sticking upward. There is also a difference in that homocapsaicin has 29 hydrogens while capsaicin only has 27.

9. Why is capsaicin considered a “double-edged sword” ? (see section 2.2-cancer prevention).
      Capsaicin is considered a “double-edged sword” because it has both carcinogenic and chemopreventive properties. This means that although there has been evidence of anticancer activity with capsaicin, there has also been contradictory data on this molecule. There may also be evidence that capsaicin has tumor-promoting qualities.

10. How is capsaicin related to weight-loss according to section 2.3-weight reduction?
      There is evidence that capsaicin inhibits obesity by enhancing ones energy expenditure and also reducing body fat accumulation in animal experiments and clinical studies. Sweet peppers are also able to increase the body temperature and oxygen consumption which could reduce body weight and promote the oxidation of fat. However, because of potentially harmful side effects the clinical application of this molecule is limited.