[Sca-cooks] Hot Peppers

[Darren Gasser]

Phil Troy/ G. Tacitus Adamantius wrote:
> Also sprach <jenne at fiedlerfamily.net>:
>> However, both cassia and cinnamon bark essential oils can burn the
>> skin, let alone mucus membranes.
>
> So can, I suspect, oleoresin of paprika (now there's an oddity: I
> assume it's a capsicum derivative, but it tastes to me like anise,
> and is used as an artificial "chili" flavoring in things like
> low-quality pepperoni).

Paprika is a generic term for any number of different varieties of capsicum,
most usually Capsicum Annuum.  Most U.S. paprika is made from dried New
Mexico (Anaheim) chiles.  European "paprikas" often refer to specific chile
pods in addition to the ground spice from same.

The "burn" from capsaicinoids is a result of irritation of the trigeminal
cells in the mouth, nose, and digestive tract.  These tactile nerve cells
send pain messages to the brain when irritated, causing the sensation of
heat we get from peppers (Old World genus piper does the same thing).
Generally no tissue damage is involved so capsicums are not considered
caustic.  Full science here:
http://zingerone.foodsci.cornell.edu/trigeminal/trigem.html

Some essential oils can cause actual burns, either through indirect chemical
oxidation reactions or direct oxidation from sufficiently high or low pH,
which accounts for some of the different responses you get from essential
oils versus a spice from the same plant.

-Lorenz