Topics
Deep-reference guides on the science and engineering behind the Scoville Splice platform.
Chemistry
Capsaicin
Capsaicin is the vanillyl amide responsible for the burning sensation in chili peppers. Learn its chemistry, receptor mechanism, and role in flavor engineering.
Capsaicinoids
Capsaicinoids are the family of vanillyl amide alkaloids that give chili peppers their heat. Learn what each member does and how their profiles differ.
Physiology
TRPV1 and Heat Perception
TRPV1 (Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1) is the ion channel that responds to both physical heat and capsaicin. Here's the molecular mechanism of burning sensation.
TRPA1 and Sharp Pungency
TRPA1 is activated by allicin, sinigrin, cinnamaldehyde, and other pungent non-capsaicinoid compounds. Here's the receptor biology and what it means for the IFI-P axis.
Flavor Science
Bitter Taste Attenuation
Bitter compounds activate TAS2R receptors on taste cells. Engineering crops to reduce bitter ligand production is one of the highest-value flavor applications of genomic tools.
Umami and Glutamate Receptors
Umami, the fifth basic taste, is mediated by mGluR1 and TAS1R1/TAS1R3. Learn the receptor biology and how genomic tools can amplify savory flavor in any crop.
Kokumi and CaSR
Kokumi is the flavor quality of richness, continuity, and mouthfulness. It's mediated by the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) and amplified by γ-glutamyl peptides.
Cooling Compounds and TRPM8
TRPM8 is the cold-sensing receptor activated by menthol, eucalyptol, and icilin at room temperature. Learn the biology and how cooling can be engineered into any plant.
Sweet Taste Receptors
Sweetness is detected by the TAS1R2/TAS1R3 heterodimer, a GPCR with multiple binding sites for sugars, intense sweeteners, and sweet proteins. Here's the biology.
Genomics
CRISPR
CRISPR-Cas9 is a bacterial immune system repurposed as a gene-editing tool. Learn how it works, what it can edit, and how it's used in plant flavor engineering.
CRISPR Plant Engineering
Applying CRISPR to plant genomes requires specialized delivery methods and regeneration protocols. Here's the full workflow from design to transformed plant.
Agrobacterium Transformation
Agrobacterium tumefaciens is the workhorse of plant genetic engineering. Learn how this soil bacterium naturally integrates DNA into plant chromosomes.
Plant Transformation Methods
Three primary methods deliver genetic constructs into plant cells: Agrobacterium, particle bombardment, and lipid nanoparticles. Each has different host ranges, efficiencies, and regulatory implications.
Pepper Genome Sequencing
The Capsicum annuum genome was first published in 2014. Here's what sequencing revealed about the genetic basis of heat, the expansion of capsaicinoid genes, and the evolutionary arms race behind the world's hottest peppers.
Computational Biology
Engineering
Metabolic Engineering
Metabolic engineering redirects cellular metabolism to increase production of a target compound by overexpressing, suppressing, or adding pathway genes.
Beyond Peppers: Cross-Species Engineering
The capsaicin pathway can be moved into any plant that has the right metabolic precursors. Here's the feasibility framework and what makes tomato, rice, and basil viable hosts.
Science
Synthetic Biology
Synthetic biology applies engineering principles — parts, devices, systems, and design-build-test-learn cycles — to the design of living organisms.
Culinary Genomics
Culinary genomics applies genome sequencing, metabolic modeling, and precision editing to engineer flavor at the molecular level in any food crop.