The colourless to yellowish organic compound is responsible for the pungent taste in pepper. When consumed, piperine exerts a trigeminal heat or pungent stimulus in the mouth. This is actually a sensation of pain. The substance stimulates the metabolism and secretion (saliva, digestive juices) and has an antimicrobial effect. Capsaicin, a substance contained in paprika, has a similar effect. Both substances are often present in red wines. See wine rating under spicy (hot) and peppery.

Picture on the left: From Aruna in Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Image on the right: By Rainer Zenz from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
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