a member of the Solanaceae (nightshade) family of plants. There is no
shortage of powerful plants in this impressive family!
The hotness of chili is associated with the presence of a single
molecular constituent—capsaicin.
HONo Cu SsOo
CapsaicinThe more capsaicin present in the chili, the hotter it is perceived to be.
Proteins have been identified in the mouth that are sensitive to cap-
saicin. When capsaicin binds to one of these receptor proteins, a shape
change occurs, an ion channel opens, and calcium ions flow from
outside the cell to inside, depolarizing the cell and leading to increased
neural excitability.