10/17 Extension Activity

What type of sensory neurons are activated by spicy foods?

• Taste buds

• Olfactory receptors

• Polymodal nociceptors

• Cold receptors

What is the primary reason wasabi burns your nose, while chili peppers primarily burn your mouth?

• Wasabi contains larger molecules that stay in the mouth.

• Chili peppers contain smaller molecules that float into the sinuses.

• Wasabi contains smaller molecules that easily float up into your sinuses.

• Chili peppers activate cold receptors, while wasabi activates heat receptors.

What does the Scoville scale measure?

• The amount of sugar in a spicy food.

• How much a food's capsaicin content can be diluted before the heat is no longer detectable.

• The temperature at which a spicy food begins to burn.

• The number of taste buds activated by a spicy food.

Which of the following is a proposed reason why humans started adding spices to food?

• To make food sweeter.

• To kill off bacteria, especially in warmer climates.

• To increase the nutritional value of food.

• To make food less appealing to animals.