Why you should trust me: I have a Master's degree in Food Science from UC Davis, where my thesis focused on capsaicinoid profiling in Capsicum chinense cultivars using HPLC. I've published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and reviewed submissions for the International Journal of Food Science. Before joining KnowThePepper, I worked in quality assurance for a spice company, testing capsaicin concentrations.
What I actually do here: I verify every scientific claim on the site. If we say a pepper is 1,000,000 SHU, I trace that number back to a specific study or measurement. I also write the science-focused guides — the Scoville scale explainer, capsaicin chemistry deep-dives, and anything involving receptor biology.
Favorite thing to research: The TRPV1 receptor. It's the reason capsaicin makes you feel heat, and the biology behind it is genuinely fascinating. I wrote our capsaicin guide and could happily write three more.
Least favorite part of the job: Reading "studies" from supplement companies claiming capsaicin cures everything. It doesn't. I spend too much time debunking bad science.
UC Davis Food Science MScPublished in JAFCFormer spice company QACan identify capsaicin by smell
