[CH] Can you still taste anything?
Michael Bowers (mkbowers@wiley.gsm.ucdavis.edu)
Fri, 26 Apr 2002 12:30:35 -0700
Too Much Chili Burns Out Flavor
Bad news for spice lovers: Chili actually reduces your ability to taste other
flavors, according to researchers at the University of California, Davis.
In a painful series of experiments that you may not want to try at home,
graduate student Chris Simons put capsaicin -- the hot chemical from chili
peppers -- on one side of volunteers' tongues. The volunteers then rinsed with
solutions representing the five flavors of salty, sweet, sour, bitter and
"umami," the flavor linked to monosodium glutamate, and rated the intensity of
the flavor.
"Capsaicin always suppressed sweetness, bitterness and umami. Saltiness and
sourness weren't affected at all," Simons said.
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