The chemistry of spices impacts our culinary experiences in more ways than we can imagine. From the citrusy flavor of orange rind powder to the heat of chili and the rich aroma of cinnamon, it is difficult to ignore the significance of spices in traditional dishes.
Most of the common spices sitting on your kitchen shelf are not just flavor agents. Centuries ago, spices were renowned for their medicinal properties.
This piece will unpack the peculiar compounds that confer the flavorful properties of spices. It doesn’t stop there; you’ll also get to understand how these compounds excite the sense organs, making spices amenable in dishes and for medical purposes.
Flavor Molecules and Aroma Chemistry
Remember the times you walked into the house and could tell immediately that something nice was cooking in the kitchen? The components of the cooking meal that travelled through the air, from the sizzling pot in the kitchen, all the way to your nose at the front door, are called volatile compounds. Food materials that come with a lavish supply of nice-smelling volatile compounds are often used as flavor agents when cooking.
Spice active compounds are often a blend of volatile compounds, essential oils and natural alcohols. These flavorful compounds fall into one of the following chemical categories: esters, aldehydes, terpenes and terpenoids. However, it sometimes takes transformational food processes, like heating, crushing or grinding, to release spice compounds.
Below is a list of some common flavorful food items and their unique spice active compounds.
- Piperine: This is responsible for the strong and pungent aroma of black pepper.
- Eucalyptol: The fresh and minty flavor of eucalyptus is conferred by this flavor compound.
- Diacetyl: The welcoming aroma of baked foods and dairy products like cheese is caused by diacetyl.
- Theobromine: Is the compound responsible for the characteristic flavor of chocolate.
- Allicin: The predominant flavor compound found in ginger.
- Capsaicin: Chili pepper is hot due to the presence of this volatile compound.
- Cinnamaldehyde: Is the predominant flavor compound in cinnamon.
- Limonene: This is the major compound that causes the citrusy smell in fruits like tangerine, orange, and lemon.
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How We Perceive Spice Flavors
To understand why spices taste good, it is essential to identify the mechanisms that help us perceive their flavors. Spice active compounds interact with the taste buds of the tongue and the olfactory receptors in the nose before sending signals to the brain. Sometimes, the eyes and skin play minor roles in the sensory perception of spice flavor.
However, how human sensory receptors perceive spice flavors is a little different from those of regular food. For example, it takes the activities of the trigeminal nerve endings to perceive the qualities of hot, minty and tingly spices. If the trigeminal nerve system, located in the head, is damaged or insensitive, it may be difficult to appreciate spicy flavors.
Medicinal Compounds in Spices
Studies on the chemistry of spices have opened a wide vista into their potential for treating health maladies. Due to the chemical makeup of spices, research has established them as medically beneficial for treatment, prevention and correction of ailments.
For example, some common health benefits of spices are:
- Antimicrobial Action: The chemical compounds that distinguish spices have been found to inhibit the growth, reproduction and activities of spoilage microorganisms. So, more spices are being incorporated into food products as natural preservatives.
- Anti-inflammatory Action: Phytochemicals are compounds occurring in plants, particularly colorful ones. They are lavishly available in spices and have been found to inhibit enzymes that cause inflammation in the body.
- Antioxidant Action: Spices are usually rich in bioactive compounds which possess antioxidant properties. These natural substances help neutralize free radicals, which are the regular suspects in cancerous growths.
All spices indeed have varying levels of health benefits. However, a plethora of studies are ongoing about the appropriate dosing of these volatile organic compounds for spice medicinal benefits.
Cultural and Historical Use
Did you know that the cheap spices we take for granted today were once worth more than gold? Indeed, there was a time, several centuries ago, when spices were the poster child of global trade. Spice trade history reveals that it incensed the rise and fall of empires and was once a metric of wealth. Just as the wealth of nations in the 21st century is gauged by their gold and oil reserves, spices were very valuable during the era of the Silk Road trade.
Beyond the medicinal properties of spices and their historical economic value, they also served another purpose in ancient times: food preservation. Before refrigerators became a thing, various cultures around the world kept their food fresh by using spices. It was a veritable traditional preservation method before scientists started synthesizing artificial preservatives.
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Practical Applications of Spices in Cooking
Walk into your average grocery store today, and you’re likely to find blended spice brands on the shelf. Such products provide customers with multiple spice flavors in a single package for their cooking.
The chemistry of spices is not pure science, nor is it solely culinary art. However, it provides a natural avenue of stimulating your sense organs, with added health benefits. So, look for ways of using more spices in your cooking, not just to enhance food flavor, but also for overall wellness.
The next time you season your food, remember, you’re sprinkling centuries of science and culture onto your plate.
