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{{Short description|Sharp smell or flavor}}
{{Redirect|Spicy}}
[[File:PepperswithscovilleCentralMarketHoustonTX.JPG|thumb|300px|A display of hot peppers and the [[Scoville scale]] at a supermarket in [[Houston]], [[Texas]]]]

'''Pungency''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-pungent.ogg|ˈ|p|ʌ|n|dʒ|ən|s|i}}) refers to the taste of food commonly referred to as '''spiciness''', '''hotness''' or '''heat''',<ref name=PNAS>{{cite journal|last1=Tewksbury|first1=J. J.|last2=Reagan|first2=K. M.|last3=Machnicki|first3=N. J.|last4=Carlo|first4=T. A.|last5=Haak|first5=D. C.|last6=Penaloza|first6=A. L. C.|last7=Levey|first7=D. J.|title=Evolutionary ecology of pungency in wild chilies|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|date=2008|volume=105|issue=33|pages=11808–11811|doi=10.1073/pnas.0802691105|pmid=18695236|pmc=2575311|bibcode=2008PNAS..10511808T|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Institute" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org/files/tiny_mce/file_manager/educ_info/ChileHeat.pdf |title=Chile Heat |year=2006 |publisher=Chile Pepper Institute, New Mexico State University |access-date=September 14, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016183453/http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org/files/tiny_mce/file_manager/educ_info/ChileHeat.pdf |archive-date=October 16, 2012}}</ref> found in foods such as [[chili pepper]]s. Highly pungent tastes may be experienced as unpleasant. The term '''piquancy''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|iː|k|ən|s|i}}) is sometimes applied to foods with a lower degree of pungency<ref name="Piquant">{{cite web |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piquant |title=Merriam-Webster Dictionary: "Piquant" |publisher=Merriam-webster.com |access-date=February 7, 2014 |archive-date=November 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221115052254/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piquant |url-status=live }}</ref> that are "agreeably stimulating to the palate". Examples of piquant food include [[mustard (condiment)|mustard]] and [[curry]].

==Terminology==
In colloquial speech, the term "pungency" can refer to any strong, sharp [[Olfaction|smell]] or [[Flavor (taste)|flavor]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/pungency#pungency_1 |title=Pungency |publisher=Collins English Dictionary |date=February 3, 2014 |access-date=February 7, 2014 |archive-date=February 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221095824/http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/pungency#pungency_1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Pungent">{{cite web |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pungent |title=Merriam-Webster Dictionary: "Pungent" |publisher=Merriam-webster.com |access-date=February 7, 2014 |archive-date=January 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140122075124/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pungent |url-status=live }}</ref> However, in scientific speech, it refers specifically to the "hot" or "spicy" quality of [[chili pepper]]s. It is the preferred term by scientists as it eliminates the ambiguity arising from use of "hot", which can also refer to temperature, and "spicy", which can also refer to [[spice]]s.<ref name=PNAS/><ref name="Institute">{{cite web |url=http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org/files/tiny_mce/file_manager/educ_info/Chile%20Terminology.pdf |title=Chile Terminology |year=2006 |publisher=Chile Pepper Institute, New Mexico State University |access-date=September 14, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016183559/http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org/files/tiny_mce/file_manager/educ_info/Chile%20Terminology.pdf |archive-date=October 16, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |title=Why are not all chilies hot? A trade-off limits pungency |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=279 |issue=1735 |pages=2012–2017 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2011.2091 |pmid=22189403 |pmc=3311884 |year=2011 |last1=Haak |first1=D. C. |last2=McGinnis |first2=L. A. |last3=Levey |first3=D. J. |last4=Tewksbury |first4=J. J. }}</ref>

For instance, a [[pumpkin pie]] can be both hot (out of the oven) and spicy (due to the common inclusion of spices such as [[cinnamon]], [[nutmeg]], [[allspice]], [[mace (spice)|mace]], and [[clove]]s), but it is not ''pungent''. Conversely, pure [[capsaicin]] is pungent, yet it is not naturally accompanied by a hot temperature or spices.

As the Oxford, Collins, and Merriam-Webster dictionaries explain, "piquancy" can refer to mild pungency,<ref name="Pungent" /> that is, flavors and spices that are much less strong than [[Chili pepper|chilli peppers]], including, for example, the strong flavor of some tomatoes. In other words, pungency always refers to a very strong taste whereas piquancy refers to any spices and foods that are "agreeably stimulating to the palate", in other words to food that is spicy in the general sense of "well-spiced".

Mildly pungent or sour foods may be referred to as '''tangy'''.

==Uses==
Pungency is often quantified in scales that range from mild to hot. The [[Scoville scale]] measures the pungency of [[chili pepper]]s, as defined by the amount of [[capsaicin]] they contain.[[Image:Epice marche Pointe a Pitre.JPG|thumb|right|A display of spices in [[Guadeloupe]]: some pungent, some not]]

Pungency is not considered a taste in the technical sense because it is carried to the brain by a different set of nerves. While taste nerves are activated when consuming foods like chili peppers, the sensation commonly interpreted as "hot" results from the stimulation of [[somatosensory]] fibers in the mouth. Many parts of the body with exposed membranes that lack taste receptors (such as the nasal cavity, genitals, or a wound) produce a similar sensation of heat when exposed to pungent agents.

The pungent sensation provided by chili peppers, [[black pepper]] and other spices like [[ginger]] and [[horseradish]] plays an important role in a diverse range of cuisines across the world.

Pungent substances, like [[capsaicin]], are used in [[topical medication|topical]] [[analgesic]]s and [[pepper spray]]s.<ref name="pubchem">{{cite web |title=Capsaicin |url=https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Capsaicin |publisher=PubChem, US National Library of Medicine |access-date=2 May 2023 |date=29 April 2023 |archive-date=12 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142907/https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Capsaicin |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Anand |first1=P. |last2=Bley |first2=K. |date=October 2011 |title=Topical capsaicin for pain management: therapeutic potential and mechanisms of action of the new high-concentration capsaicin 8% patch |journal=British Journal of Anaesthesia |volume=107 |issue=4 |pages=490–502 |doi=10.1093/bja/aer260 |issn=0007-0912 |pmc=3169333 |pmid=21852280}}</ref>

==Mechanism==
Pungency is sensed via [[chemesthesis]], the sensitivity of the skin and mucous membranes to chemical substances. Substances such as [[piperine]], capsaicin, and [[thiosulfinate]]s can cause a burning or tingling sensation by inducing a [[trigeminal nerve]] stimulation together with normal taste reception. The pungent feeling caused by [[allyl isothiocyanate]], capsaicin, piperine, and [[allicin]] is caused by activation of the heat thermo- and chemosensitive [[Transient receptor potential channel|TRP ion channels]] including [[TRPV1]] and [[TRPA1]] [[nociceptor]]s. The pungency of chilies may be an [[Evolution|adaptive response]] to microbial pathogens.<ref name=PNAS />

==See also==

* [[Pyruvate scale]]
* [[Scoville scale]]
* [[Thermoception]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==

{{Taste}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Gustation]]
[[Category:Pain]]
[[Category:Characteristics of cheese]]

Pungency - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article