Monday, July 23, 2012

Luke's science experiment-written up by Liv


HOT! HOT! HOT!
Why do peppers burn our mouths? Peppers contain an acid called capsaicin, oil in the pepper’s flesh. This acid in the pepper causes your mouth to ‘burn’, which is actually the pain sensor in your mouth telling your brain this is hot. We wanted to find out what cure works best: water or milk?
       Luke tried a jalapeño pepper, and for him, milk worked best. Why? To relieve your tongue, you have to get the oil off. When there is oil on pans, we use soap, which breaks down the oil, to clean them. Although soap isn’t good to put in your mouth, milk also emulsifies [breaks down] the oil, while water doesn’t. Therefore milk is a better choice when eating hot foods.

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