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Asked by anon-175966 to Ali, Jenny, Mark, Paul, Simran, Stephen on 12 Jun 2018.
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Simran Chopra answered on 12 Jun 2018:
Hello Abi
I think you like spicy food, so do I!
Well, there is a substance called Capsaicin produced by the seeds of a chili. This is a natural irritant which when eaten triggers and bids to the pain receptors of your tongue. The burning sensation you feel is due to the brains reaction to the Capsaicin binding to your tongue’s pain receptors but no harm to your body is done and all is well!
Capsaicin is present in all chilis and it is a kind of evolutionary defense mechanism by the plant against us because we eat them of course. To see measure how hot a chili is we use the Scoville scale.
Now do enjoy your chilis but carefully š
š
Simran
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Ali Hill answered on 12 Jun 2018:
Hi Abi,
This is what Iād spend the prize money on! Iāve got a video on my profile that hopefully answers this. What Simranās said is right. Itās capsaicin. The hotter a chilli the more capsaicin it has in it. Thatās what the Scoville scale shows.
When you eat chilli, the capsaicin is what makes it feel like your mouthās on fire. The receptors that Simranās talking about in the mouth are sort of like having a baseball glove on a door. Itās only when the ball is the baseball glove that you can open the door. Letās say that when a baseball fits into the glove it means that you feel pain. If you have a football, itās not going to fit the glove (receptor). But a tennis ball, although itās not a baseball will fit and youāll feel pain. The tennis ball is capsaicin. The receptor (baseball glove) isnāt designed for it but youāll get the same effect as if you had a baseball. The door thatās opened is one that helps you feel pain with heat and cold. So if you burn yourself on the cooker itās the same ādoorā opened. Thatās why it feels like your mouthās on fire when you eat chillis.
Does that help?
Ali
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Mark Kirkwood answered on 12 Jun 2018:
On the flip side, when you eat mints and it makes your mouth feel cold, that’s the menthol.
You have some receptors in your mouth, called transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member 8 (what a mouthful!) or TRPM8 receptors.
These guys respond to cold temperatures and send signals to your brain to tell you it’s chilly. But, the menthol in mints also makes the receptor send a cold signal to the brain, and that’s why mints make your mouth feel cold.
Comments
Ali commented on :
Great question by the way – and thanks for answering it here. Iād never have been able to answer it in the chat! š
Ali commented on :
Interestingly, birds donāt have the chilli receptor so donāt get that burning feeling. Itās a brilliant trick if nature because it means the birds can eat the seeds of the chilli plant and then when they poop them out somewhere later on it means a new chilli plant will grow, and they donāt get that burning feeling in their mouth or bum from eating the seeds, so they carry on doing it……
Having said that Iāve yet to see a pigeon eat a vindaloo so I havenāt personally put that one to the test š