Do Caucasian American and South Asian Indian cultural groups differ in sensitivity to capsaicin? A study designed to control for chili pepper affinity

• Published in: Journal of food science 2020-09, Vol.85 (9), p.2896-2901
• Main Authors: Berry, Danica N., Simons, Christopher T.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Affinity; Capsaicin; Cheek; chili pepper affinity; Cleft lip/palate; Cultural groups; culture; Indian; Irritation; Oral cavity; Peppers; Questions; Sensitivity; Sensory testing; spiciness perception; time intensity
• ISSN: 0022-1147; 1750-3841
• DOI: 10.1111/1750-3841.15369

Although different cultural groups are known to vary in their tolerance for hot chili peppers, the influence of factors such as cultural background and upbringing on sensitivity to compounds in spicy food is unclear. A study was designed to investigate sensitivity differences to capsaicin between Caucasian American and South Asian Indian cultural groups while controlling for general chili pepper affinity. The two cultural groups were selected to match on metrics related to chili pepper use and liking. Subjects were exposed to a capsaicin (100 ppm) stimulus on the tongue, cheek, hard palate, and lip and rated the intensity of irritation every 30 s, over a 10‐min period. Overall sensitivity to capsaicin in the oral cavity did not differ between the groups, nor were responses different between the groups depending on the oral cavity area stimulated. These data suggest a limited role of cultural attributes on capsaicin sensitivity between Caucasian Americans and South Asian Indians. The methods and findings here provide subject recruitment insight and guidance on effectively designing a sensory study to answer perceptual questions regarding specific subject groups. Practical Application This study design provides a model for researchers interested in utilizing sensory testing to answer questions about subject groups. Although the objective of this study regarded sensitivity differences across two cultural groups, alterations in the subject matching process used presently could be easily implemented to investigate sensitivity across other differing subject characteristics of interest.