Both contain a benzene ring, although capsaicin also has a long hydrocarbon tail. It actually belongs to the same class of chemicals as vanillin, the compound that gives vanilla its flavour. So what is it about this flavouring compound that can have got the European Parliament, and the Olympic committee, so hot under the collar? On paper, it seems pretty harmless. Food manufacturers can still use raw and processed chillis in various forms, but pure capsaicin is out. As of January 2011, it is also banned as a food additive under European legislation on food flavourings - along with chemicals like thujone (a compound found in absinthe) and aloin (a laxative). Capsaicin is the alkaloid compound that gives chillis their heat.īut even in a culinary context capsaicin can't stay out of trouble. Because capsaicin is a natural product and it's one of the capsaicinoids produced by plants in the capsicum family, which includes chilli peppers. Now, those who've read their cookbooks thoroughly, and possibly those who've eaten their fair share of takeaway curries, may have come across capsaicin in an entirely different context.
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