Dairy proteins and the burn of chili pepper
What it found
In 89 people, milk proteins lowered the burn from capsaicin, the hot compound in chili pepper.
Casein worked better than whey protein.
What they found
Studies in people
Burn intensity
In 89 people, the highest burn intensity fell as protein concentration increased. Casein samples gave a lower burn than whey protein samples.
Burn and free capsaicin
The highest burn tracked directly with the amount of free, unbound capsaicin.
Rinsing after capsaicin
When used as a rinse after a 5 ppm capsaicin solution, only the 5% micellar casein solution cut the burn more than a water rinse did.
Other findings
Protein binding
Free capsaicin dropped as protein concentration rose, and the drop was larger with casein than with whey protein.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that binding of capsaicin by milk proteins reduces oral burn.
- They report that casein is more effective than whey protein at reducing the burn.
- They note that only the 5% micellar casein rinse was significantly better than water.
How it was done
The authors wanted to see how milk proteins bind capsaicin and whether that binding reduces the burn felt in the mouth.
They measured free capsaicin in solutions with 0 to 5% micellar casein or whey protein isolate. Then 89 untrained participants rated the burn intensity of similar solutions over time. They also tested protein solutions as rinses after exposure to a 5 ppm capsaicin solution.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This was a short taste test, so it cannot show what happens with repeated or long-term eating of chili pepper.
- The study used capsaicin in water, not actual chili peppers or meals, so the results may differ with real foods.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Hatch Act Appropriations; Project PEN04708 and Accession (from the PubMed record).
- Authors work at
- The Pennsylvania State University, USA
The paper
- Title
- The effect of dairy proteins on the oral burn of capsaicin
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Farah BA, Hayes JE, Coupland JN (2023). The effect of dairy proteins on the oral burn of capsaicin. Journal of food science. doi:10.1111/1750-3841.16400PubMed 36510373DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error