Pungency

The metallic taste (12,19,20) is not ascribed to any special taste buds or mouth area. Along with pungency (the hot taste of peppers), astringency (the puckering taste of alum), and cold taste (the cool effect of menthol), the metallic taste is called a common chemical sense (21). 

The reduction of water limits mold formation, but only slightly affects the aroma or pungency. The dried product maintains its character and pound for pound is stronger in aroma and flavor than the fresh spice, since a nonessential component has been substantially removed. In areas where a spice is grown, the same product that is dried for storage and shipment is often used fresh for flavoring. 

Mustard is marketed in three forms, ie, as a seed as a prepared blend of ground mustard seed, vinegar, salt, sugar, and other spices and as powdered dry mustard, also known as ground mustard or mustard flour. The seeds of the white or yellow mustard add pungency to any preparation, and that of the black mustard is required for aroma. Mustard is the largest volume spice imported into the United States and its use covers almost every flavor category except dessert items. 

The pungency of heated ammonium chloride was known in antiquity to the Ammonians, the worshippers of the Egyptian god Ammon. 

Thonsands of paprika varieties belong to the Capsicum genns and they vary widely in their sizes, shapes, colors, flavors, and pungency levels. The major carotenoids fonnd in red paprika are capsanthin and capsornbin, which posses k end gronp. Yellow pigments such as lutein, zeaxanthin, violaxanthin, and 3-carotene... 

Colorless liquid with a sweet, banana-like odor. A detection odor threshold concentration of 275 pg/m (52 ppbv) was reported by Punter (1983). Cometto-Muniz and Cain (1991) reported an average nasal pungency threshold concentration of 1,650 ppmv. 

Clear, colorless liquid with a rancid sweet odor similar to fusel oil. Experimentally determined detection and recognition odor threshold concentrations were 900 pg/m (300 ppbv) and 3.0 mg/m (1.0 ppmv), respectively (Heilman and Small, 1974). Odor threshold concentration in water is 500 ppb (Buttery et al, 1988). The least detectable odor threshold in concentration water at 60 °C was 0.2 mg/L (Alexander et al., 1982). Cometto-Muniz et al. (2000) reported nasal pungency threshold concentrations ranging from approximately 900 to 4,000 ppm. 

Clear, colorless, flammable liquid with a sweet almond, medicinal or mothball-like odor. An odor threshold concentration of 210 ppbv was reported by Leonardos et al. (1969). At 40 °C, the lowest concentration at which an odor was detected was 190 pg/L. At 25 °C, the lowest concentration at which a taste was detected was 190 pg/L (Young et al, 1996). The average least detectable odor threshold concentration in water at 60 °C was 0.08 mg/L (Alexander et al, 1982). Cometto-Muhiz and Cain (1994) reported an average nasal pungency threshold concentration of 10,553 ppmv. 

Clear, colorless, very flammable liquid with a characteristic, pungent odor. An odor threshold concentration of 20 ppby was determined by a triangular odor bag method (Nagata and Takeuchi, 1990). Cometto-Muniz et al. (2000) reported nasal pungency threshold concentration ranging from approximately 500 to 3,200 ppm. 

Clear, colorless to pale yellow, flammable liquid with a sharp, penetrating, nauseating fish-like odor. Odor threshold concentrations in water and air were 2 ppm (Buttery et al., 1988) and 21 ppbv (Leonardos et al, 1969), respectively. Detection odor threshold concentrations of 0.74 mg/m (2.3 ppmv) and 6 mg/m (1.9 ppmv) were experimentally determined by Katz and Talbert (1930) and Dravnieks (1974), respectively. Cometto-Muniz and Cain (1990) reported an average nasal pungency threshold concentration of 1,275 ppmv. 

Cometto-Mnniz, J.E. and Cain, W.S. Nasal pungency, odor and eye irritation thresholds for homologous acetates. Pharmacol. Blochem. Behav., 39(4) 983-989, 1991. 

Cometto-Muniz, J.E. and Cain, W.S. Sensory reactions of nasal pungency and odor to volatile organic compounds the alkylbenzenes. Am. Ind. Hyg. Assoc. J., 55(9) 811-817, 1994. 

Cometto-Mnniz, J.E. and Cain, W.S. Thresholds for odor and nasal pungency. Physiol Behav., 48(5) 719-725, 1990. Cometto-Mnniz, J.E., Cain, W.S., Hiraishi.T., Abraham. M.H., and Gola.J.M.R. Comparison of two stimulus-deliveiy systems for measnrement of nasal pnngency thresholds, Chem. Senses, 25(3) 285-291, 2000. 

Govindarajan V, Sathyanarayana M (1991) Capsicum - production, technology, chemistry, and quality. Part V - Impact on physiology, pharmacology, nutrition and metabolism structure, pungency, pain and desensitization sequences. Ciit Rev Food Sci Nutr 29 435 74... 

Tewksbury J, Reagan K, Machnicki N, Carlo T, Haak D, Calderon-Penaloza A, Levey D (2008) Evolutionary ecology of pungency in wild chilies. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 105 11808-11811... 

Stewart C, Kang B-C, Liu K, Mazourek M, Moore SL, Yoo EY, Kim B-D, Paran 1, Jahn MM (2005) The Punl gene for pungency in pepper encodes a putative acyltransferase. Plant J 42 675-688... 

Suzuki T, Fujiwake H, Iwai K (1980) Intracellular localization of capsaicin and its analogues, capsaicinoid, in Capsicum fruit. 1. Microscopic investigation of the structure of the placenta of Capsicum annuum var. annuum cv. Karayatsubusa. Plant Cell Physiol 21 839-853 Ohta Y (1963) Physiological and genetical studies on the pungency of Capsicum IV. Secretory organ, receptacles and distribution of capsaicin in the Capsicum fruits. Jap J Breed 12 179-183... 

Heiser CB, Smith PG (1953) The cultivated Capsicum peppers. Econ Bot 7 214-227 Blum E, Liu K, Mazourek M, Yoo EY, Jahn MM, Paran I (2002) Molecular mapping of the C locus for presence of pungency in Capsicum. Genome 45 702-705... 

Votava E, Bosland P (2002) Novel sources of non-pungency in Capsicum species. Capsicum Eggplant Newslett 21 66-68... 

Ben Chaim A, Borovsky Y, Ealise M, Mazourek M, Kung BC, Paran 1, Jahn MM (2006) QTL analysis for capsaicinoid content in Capsicum. Theor Appl Genet 113 1481-1490 HarveU K, Bosland PW (1997) The environment produces a significant effect on pungency of chiles. HortScience 32 1292... 

Chemesthesis. The term chemesthesis has been introduced to classify thermal and painful sensations experienced in the mouth (26). Chemesthesis refers to a chemical sensibility (mouthfeel) in which certain chemicals direcdy activate nerve fibers at the level of the basal membrane in the mouth. The sensations are analogous to similar effects at the skin surface where there is a close anatomical and functional relationship. Sensations include the "hot" of capsaicin and piperine, which are active components of chili and pepper, the coolness of menthol and the irritation of chemicals such as salt at high concentrations [FIGURE 4]. Some of the descriptive terms used to make qualitative distinctions in food sensations include pungency, freshness, tingling, burning and sharpness. 

The resinoids described above should be distinguished from prepared oleoresins (e.g., pepper, ginger, and vanilla oleoresins), which are concentrates prepared from spices by solvent extraction. The solvent that is used depends on the spice currently, these products are often obtained by extraction with supercritical carbon dioxide [223a]. Pepper and ginger oleoresins contain not only volatile aroma compounds, but also substances responsible for pungency. 

Ginger oleoresin is prepared by extracting ginger rhizomes with acetone or alcohol. The product contains the essential oil along with the substances responsible for the pungency of ginger. These compounds are substituted phenols of the following structure ... 

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