Miejsce realizacji: Collegium Pharmaceuticum (Aula Collegium Pharmaceuticum)
Adres: Lublin, ul. dra Witolda Chodźki 4a

In English, chili pepper is "hot", while in Polish it is rather "sharp" - 'ostra papryka'). It turns out both terms are physiologically correct. Capsaicin, an active ingredient responsible for pungent taste of pepper, is a molecule which binds to a specific protein in our body, which is a sensor of increased temperature on one hand and a transducer of pain stimuli on the other. That's why eating of real chili pepper makes painful and burning sensation at your mouth. Originally, capsaicin was made to protect pepper seeds and repel potential herbivores; human is the only creature who changed that into food of pleasant and desired taste. My presentation will show molecular model of capsaicin, three dimensional model of capsaicin receptor and what happens when both bind to each other. I will explain why we drink milk when our chili is really too hot; why people organize chili eating contests and how professional contestants prepare for that. We will have a chance to talk about the hottest pepper on earth (Carolina Reaper – 2,2 million Scoville's Heat Units) and why capsaicin does not make a heat sensation in birds and reptiles.