Overview

• Researchers at Ohio State University discovered capsianoside I, roseoside, and gingerglycolipid A as natural compounds that reduce chili pepper heat perception.
• The findings reveal significant limitations in the century-old Scoville scale, which measures spiciness solely based on capsaicinoid levels.
• Despite equal capsaicinoid content standardized at 800 SHU, taste tests showed wide variability in perceived heat across ten pepper varieties.
• The identified compounds suppress spiciness without introducing new flavors, offering potential for customized culinary applications and non-opioid pain therapies.
• This research opens pathways for developing 'anti-spice' additives and revising spiciness metrics to account for the complex interplay of chili pepper phytochemicals.