FoodReference.com Logo

FoodReference.com   (since 1999)

 

Home   |   FOOD ARTICLES   |   Food Trivia   |   Today_in_Food_History   |   Food_History_Timeline   |   Recipes   |   Cooking_Tips   |   Food_Videos   |   Food_Quotes   |   Who’s_Who   |   Culinary_Schools_&_Tours   |   Food_Trivia_Quizzes   |   Food_Poems   |   Free_Magazines   |   Food_Festivals_and_Events

Food Articles, News & Features Section

You are here > Home > Food Articles >

Vegetable Articles >  Chili Peppers, WHY are they hot?

 

FREE Magazines
and other Publications

Free Professional and Technical Research, White Papers, Case Studies, Magazines, and eBooks

 

 

WHY ARE CHILI PEPPERS HOT?

See Also: Chili Peppers I;   Chili Peppers II;   Chili Pepper Trivia
 

 

We all know some chili peppers are hotter than others.

Why? Higher levels of capsaicin, the chemical that makes them hot.
But, the question is still basically the same - Why do some chilies have more capsaicin, which makes them hotter?

Studies in Bolivia, where it is believed chilies first evolved, show that in areas with the most fruit eating insects, the chili peppers are hotter.
Is it a self defense mechanism to discourage insects from eating them?

NO, the fruit eating insects and birds in the area are not affected by capsaicin. Both still nibble on the chili peppers.

OK, so why do some chilies have more capsaicin, making them hotter than others - there should be a reason. Why do chilies have ANY capsaicin at all?  What is the advantage?  Self defense would seem to be the logical reason.

A new study (Joshua Tewksbuty, Univ of Washington in Seattle) suggests the capsaicin IS for self defense. But not against insects or birds.

Capsaicin is a chemical defense against a fungus that feeds on chili pepper seeds.  Where there are more insects that feed on chili peppers, there are more chili peppers that have been scarred by insects, making them more susceptible to the fungus, so they develop higher levels of capsaicin to fight off the fungus so more seeds survive.

Capsaicin also discourages other microbes, a fact that humans probably exploited by using them to preserve food long before there was refrigeration.

 

RELATED ARTICLES

  Vegetable Articles   |   LETTUCE & LEAFY GREENS >>>   |   MUSHROOMS & FUNGI >>>   |   ALLIUM: ONIONS & LEEKS >>>   |   ROOTS & TUBERS >>>   |   SQUASH & GOURDS >>>   |   Okra, History & Facts   |   Okra, Types & Tips   |   Ackee, Akee, Achee   |   Alien Vegetables   |   Artichokes, Tips & Facts   |   Artichokes, All Choked Up   |   Asparagus   |   Asparagus, Herald of Spring   |   Avocado, Details & Varieties   |   Avocados, General & Recipes   |   Avocado History   |   Avocado Season in California   |   Beans, Fava Beans: The GB&U   |   Beans: Fresh Bean Varieties   |   Beans, A Hill of Beans & Recipes   |   Beans, Dried Black Turtle Beans   |   Black Eyed Peas   |   Bell Peppers   |   For Whom the Bell (Pepper) Tolls   |   Broccoli: Cabbage Sprout   |   Broccoli   |   When Did Brussels Sprout?   |   Brussels Sprouts, Selection & Preparation   |   Cabbage   |   Cactus, Prickly Pear   |   Cauliflower   |   Celery   |   Celery Root Remoulade   |   Chili Peppers, WHY are they hot?   |   Chili Peppers   |   Chiles, Some Like It Hot   |   Corn   |   Corn, A-Maize-ing II   |   Cranberries, Leaving Turkey Aside   |   Cucumbers, Facts & Varieties   |   Eggplant: Identity Crisis   |   Eggplant, Description & Tips   |   Eggplant (Aubergine) Season   |   Lentils   |   Peas   |   Peas in a Pod   |   Plantains   |   Poblano Chile Peppers   |   Purcell Mtn Farms   |   Rhubarb   |   Spinach   |   Sprouts, All About Sprouts   |   Sprouts, Types & Tips   |   Tamarillo, Tree Tomato   |   Tomatoes: Heirlooms & Recipes   |   Tomatoes, More History & Facts   |   Tomato Varieties & Use   |   Tomatillo  
  Home   |   About Us & Contact Us   |   Chef James Bio   |   Bibliography   |   Recipe Contests   |   Free Magazines+   |   Other Links  

Please feel free to link to any pages of FoodReference.com from your website.
For permission to use any of this content please E-mail: [email protected]
All contents are copyright © 1990 - 2024 James T. Ehler and www.FoodReference.com unless otherwise noted.  All rights reserved.
You may copy and use portions of this website for non-commercial, personal use only.
Any other use of these materials without prior written authorization is not very nice and violates the copyright.
Please take the time to request permission.