Relationship between oral burn and temperature in chili spiced pork patties evaluated by time–intensity

Time–intensity evaluation of chili spiced pork patties was performed to investigate the effect of chili concentration (0.25%, 0.5%, 1.0% and 2% w/w) and serving temperature (8, 38 and 67 °C) on oral burn. Increasing the chili concentration in the pork patties made the oral burn more intense and more persistent. Serving temperature of 38 °C and 67 °C gave more intense oral burn compared to when the pork patties were served at 8 °C, which could be caused by a temperature dependent binding of capsaicin to its receptor with optimum at oral cavity temperature. The effect of temperature on oral burn was however not dependent on capsaicin concentration. More studies on interactions between heat, gustatory, olfactory and trigeminal sensations can lead to a better understanding of how different food components interact, which would be useful in promoting culinary quality of food products and convenience meals.