97-627: Black pepper ( Piper nigrum ) is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae , cultivated for its fruit (the peppercorn ), which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning . The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about 5 mm (0.20 in) in diameter (fresh and fully mature), dark red, and contains a stone which encloses a single pepper seed . Peppercorns and the ground pepper derived from them may be described simply as pepper , or more precisely as black pepper (cooked and dried unripe fruit), green pepper (dried unripe fruit), or white pepper (ripe fruit seeds). Black pepper
194-420: A dichromate solution, turning the solution from orange to green (Cr (aq)). It can also reduce ferric ions to ferrous. Sulfur dioxide can react with certain 1,3- dienes in a cheletropic reaction to form cyclic sulfones . This reaction is exploited on an industrial scale for the synthesis of sulfolane , which is an important solvent in the petrochemical industry . Sulfur dioxide can bind to metal ions as
291-399: A ligand to form metal sulfur dioxide complexes , typically where the transition metal is in oxidation state 0 or +1. Many different bonding modes (geometries) are recognized, but in most cases, the ligand is monodentate, attached to the metal through sulfur, which can be either planar and pyramidal η . As a η -SO 2 (S-bonded planar) ligand sulfur dioxide functions as a Lewis base using
388-1987: A molecular phylogeny of plants placed the flowering plants in their evolutionary context: Bryophytes [REDACTED] Lycophytes [REDACTED] Ferns [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The main groups of living angiosperms are: Amborellales [REDACTED] 1 sp. New Caledonia shrub Nymphaeales [REDACTED] c. 80 spp. water lilies & allies Austrobaileyales [REDACTED] c. 100 spp. woody plants Magnoliids [REDACTED] c. 10,000 spp. 3-part flowers, 1-pore pollen, usu. branch-veined leaves Chloranthales [REDACTED] 77 spp. Woody, apetalous Monocots [REDACTED] c. 70,000 spp. 3-part flowers, 1 cotyledon , 1-pore pollen, usu. parallel-veined leaves Ceratophyllales [REDACTED] c. 6 spp. aquatic plants Eudicots [REDACTED] c. 175,000 spp. 4- or 5-part flowers, 3-pore pollen, usu. branch-veined leaves Amborellales Melikyan, Bobrov & Zaytzeva 1999 Nymphaeales Salisbury ex von Berchtold & Presl 1820 Austrobaileyales Takhtajan ex Reveal 1992 Chloranthales Mart. 1835 Canellales Cronquist 1957 Piperales von Berchtold & Presl 1820 Magnoliales de Jussieu ex von Berchtold & Presl 1820 Laurales de Jussieu ex von Berchtold & Presl 1820 Acorales Link 1835 Alismatales Brown ex von Berchtold & Presl 1820 Petrosaviales Takhtajan 1997 Dioscoreales Brown 1835 Pandanales Brown ex von Berchtold & Presl 1820 Liliales Perleb 1826 Asparagales Link 1829 Arecales Bromhead 1840 Poales Small 1903 Zingiberales Grisebach 1854 Commelinales de Mirbel ex von Berchtold & Presl 1820 Sulfur dioxide Selenium dioxide Tellurium dioxide Polonium dioxide Sulfur dioxide ( IUPAC -recommended spelling) or sulphur dioxide (traditional Commonwealth English )
485-967: A sesquiterpene originally discovered in the tubers of Cyperus rotundus , which can be detected in concentrations of 0.4 nanograms/l in water and in wine: rotundone is also present in marjoram, oregano, rosemary, basil, thyme, and geranium, as well as in some Shiraz wines . Pepper loses flavour and aroma through evaporation, so airtight storage helps preserve its spiciness longer. Pepper can also lose flavour when exposed to light, which can transform piperine into nearly tasteless isochavicine . Once ground, pepper's aromatics can evaporate quickly; most culinary sources recommend grinding whole peppercorns immediately before use for this reason. Handheld pepper mills or grinders, which mechanically grind or crush whole peppercorns, are used for this as an alternative to pepper shakers that dispense ground pepper. Spice mills such as pepper mills were found in European kitchens as early as
582-470: A "bright aroma." They decay quickly if not dried or preserved, making them unsuitable for international shipping. Red peppercorns usually consist of ripe peppercorn drupes preserved in brine and vinegar. Ripe red peppercorns can also be dried using the same colour-preserving techniques used to produce green pepper. Pink peppercorns are the fruits of the Peruvian pepper tree , Schinus molle , or its relative,
679-524: A burning marrow. I season delicacies, the banquets of kings, and the luxuries of the table, Both the sauces and the tenderized meats of the kitchen. But you will find in me no quality of any worth, Unless your bowels have been rattled by my gleaming marrow. It is commonly believed that during the Middle Ages , pepper was often used to conceal the taste of partially rotten meat. No evidence supports this claim, and historians view it as highly unlikely; in
776-402: A certain pungency; and yet it is for this that we import it all the way from India! Who was the first to make trial of it as an article of food? and who, I wonder, was the man that was not content to prepare himself by hunger only for the satisfying of a greedy appetite? He does not state whether the 50 million was the actual amount of money which found its way to India or the total retail cost of
873-671: A common commodity. Like many eastern spices, pepper was historically both a seasoning and a traditional medicine . Pepper appears in the Buddhist Samaññaphala Sutta , chapter five, as one of the few medicines a monk is allowed to carry. Long pepper, being stronger, was often the preferred medication, but both were used. Black pepper (or perhaps long pepper) was believed to cure several illnesses, such as constipation , insomnia , oral abscesses , sunburn , and toothaches , among others. Pepper contains phytochemicals , including amides , piperidines , and pyrrolidines . Pepper
970-597: A high heat of evaporation , sulfur dioxide is a candidate material for refrigerants. Before the development of chlorofluorocarbons , sulfur dioxide was used as a refrigerant in home refrigerators . Sulfur dioxide content in naturally-released geothermal gasses is measured by the Icelandic Meteorological Office as an indicator of possible volcanic activity. In the United States, the Center for Science in
1067-465: A natural satellite of Jupiter , is 90% sulfur dioxide and trace amounts are thought to also exist in the atmosphere of Jupiter . The James Webb Space Telescope has observed the presence of sulfur dioxide on the exoplanet WASP-39b , where it is formed through photochemistry in the planet's atmosphere. As an ice, it is thought to exist in abundance on the Galilean moons —as subliming ice or frost on
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#17328559994031164-681: A negative inotropic effect on cardiac output function, thus effectively lowering blood pressure and myocardial oxygen consumption. The vasodilating and bronchodilating effects of sulfur dioxide are mediated via ATP-dependent calcium channels and L-type ("dihydropyridine") calcium channels. Endogenous sulfur dioxide is also a potent antiinflammatory, antioxidant and cytoprotective agent. It lowers blood pressure and slows hypertensive remodeling of blood vessels, especially thickening of their intima. It also regulates lipid metabolism. Endogenous sulfur dioxide also diminishes myocardial damage, caused by isoproterenol adrenergic hyperstimulation, and strengthens
1261-517: A period of several minutes or more. It was known to medieval alchemists as "volatile spirit of sulfur". SO 2 is a bent molecule with C 2v symmetry point group . A valence bond theory approach considering just s and p orbitals would describe the bonding in terms of resonance between two resonance structures. The sulfur–oxygen bond has a bond order of 1.5. There is support for this simple approach that does not invoke d orbital participation. In terms of electron-counting formalism,
1358-458: A preservative for dried apricots, dried figs, and other dried fruits, owing to its antimicrobial properties and ability to prevent oxidation , and is called E 220 when used in this way in Europe. As a preservative, it maintains the colorful appearance of the fruit and prevents rotting . Historically, molasses was "sulfured" as a preservative and also to lighten its color. Treatment of dried fruit
1455-610: A total of 64 angiosperm orders and 416 families. The diversity of flowering plants is not evenly distributed. Nearly all species belong to the eudicot (75%), monocot (23%), and magnoliid (2%) clades. The remaining five clades contain a little over 250 species in total; i.e. less than 0.1% of flowering plant diversity, divided among nine families. The 25 most species-rich of 443 families, containing over 166,000 species between them in their APG circumscriptions, are: The botanical term "angiosperm", from Greek words angeíon ( ἀγγεῖον 'bottle, vessel') and spérma ( σπέρμα 'seed'),
1552-423: A winery due to the risk of cork taint , a mixture of SO 2 , water, and citric acid is commonly used to clean and sanitize equipment. Ozone (O 3 ) is now used extensively for sanitizing in wineries due to its efficacy, and because it does not affect the wine or most equipment. Sulfur dioxide is also a good reductant . In the presence of water, sulfur dioxide is able to decolorize substances. Specifically, it
1649-484: Is exothermic , and the combustion produces temperatures of 1,000–1,600 °C (1,830–2,910 °F). The significant amount of heat produced is recovered by steam generation that can subsequently be converted to electricity. The combustion of hydrogen sulfide and organosulfur compounds proceeds similarly. For example: The roasting of sulfide ores such as pyrite , sphalerite , and cinnabar (mercury sulfide) also releases SO 2 : A combination of these reactions
1746-858: Is starting to impact plants and is likely to cause many species to become extinct by 2100. Angiosperms are terrestrial vascular plants; like the gymnosperms, they have roots , stems , leaves , and seeds . They differ from other seed plants in several ways. The largest angiosperms are Eucalyptus gum trees of Australia, and Shorea faguetiana , dipterocarp rainforest trees of Southeast Asia, both of which can reach almost 100 metres (330 ft) in height. The smallest are Wolffia duckweeds which float on freshwater, each plant less than 2 millimetres (0.08 in) across. Considering their method of obtaining energy, some 99% of flowering plants are photosynthetic autotrophs , deriving their energy from sunlight and using it to create molecules such as sugars . The remainder are parasitic , whether on fungi like
1843-418: Is a perennial woody vine growing up to 4 m (13 ft) in height on supporting trees, poles, or trellises. It is a spreading vine, rooting readily where trailing stems touch the ground. The leaves are alternate, entire, 5 to 10 cm (2.0 to 3.9 in) long and 3 to 6 cm (1.2 to 2.4 in) across. The flowers are small, produced on pendulous spikes 4 to 8 cm (1.6 to 3.1 in) long at
1940-401: Is a key component of the planet's global atmospheric sulfur cycle and contributes to global warming . It has been implicated as a key agent in the warming of early Mars , with estimates of concentrations in the lower atmosphere as high as 100 ppm, though it only exists in trace amounts. On both Venus and Mars, as on Earth, its primary source is thought to be volcanic. The atmosphere of Io ,
2037-402: Is a useful reducing bleach for papers and delicate materials such as clothes. This bleaching effect normally does not last very long. Oxygen in the atmosphere reoxidizes the reduced dyes, restoring the color. In municipal wastewater treatment, sulfur dioxide is used to treat chlorinated wastewater prior to release. Sulfur dioxide reduces free and combined chlorine to chloride . Sulfur dioxide
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#17328559994032134-410: Is an intermediate in the production of sulfuric acid, being converted to sulfur trioxide , and then to oleum , which is made into sulfuric acid. Sulfur dioxide for this purpose is made when sulfur combines with oxygen. The method of converting sulfur dioxide to sulfuric acid is called the contact process . Several million tons are produced annually for this purpose. Sulfur dioxide is sometimes used as
2231-458: Is easily found and readily available. In New Zealand , the seeds of kawakawa ( Piper excelsum ), a relative of black pepper , are sometimes used as pepper; the leaves of Pseudowintera colorata ("mountain horopito") are another replacement for pepper. Several plants in the United States are also used as pepper substitutes, such as field pepperwort , least pepperwort , shepherd's purse , horseradish , and field pennycress . The pepper plant
2328-478: Is fairly soluble in water, and by both IR and Raman spectroscopy; the hypothetical sulfurous acid , H 2 SO 3 , is not present to any extent. However, such solutions do show spectra of the hydrogen sulfite ion, HSO 3 , by reaction with water, and it is in fact the actual reducing agent present: In the beginning of the 20th century sulfur dioxide was used in Buenos Aires as a fumigant to kill rats that carried
2425-545: Is known to cause sneezing . Some sources say that piperine, a substance present in black pepper, irritates the nostrils, causing the sneezing. Few, if any, controlled studies have been carried out to answer the question. One tablespoon (6 grams) of ground black pepper contains moderate amounts of vitamin K (13% of the daily value or DV), iron (10% DV), and manganese (18% DV), with trace amounts of other essential nutrients , protein , and dietary fibre . Pepper gets its spicy heat mostly from piperine derived from both
2522-619: Is most closely related to other Asian species such as P. caninum . Wild pepper grows in the Western Ghats region of India . Into the 19th century, the forests contained expansive wild pepper vines, as recorded by the Scottish physician Francis Buchanan (also a botanist and geographer) in his book A journey from Madras through the countries of Mysore, Canara and Malabar (Volume III). However, deforestation resulted in wild pepper growing in more limited forest patches from Goa to Kerala , with
2619-504: Is native to the Malabar Coast of India , and the Malabar pepper is extensively cultivated there and in other tropical regions. Ground, dried, and cooked peppercorns have been used since antiquity, both for flavour and as a traditional medicine . Black pepper is the world's most traded spice , and is one of the most common spices added to cuisines around the world. Its spiciness is due to
2716-521: Is no year in which India does not drain the Roman Empire of 50 million sesterces ", and further moralizes on pepper: It is quite surprising that the use of pepper has come so much into fashion, seeing that in other substances which we use, it is sometimes their sweetness, and sometimes their appearance that has attracted our notice; whereas, pepper has nothing in it that can plead as a recommendation to either fruit or berry, its only desirable quality being
2813-431: Is often used as a low-temperature solvent/diluent for superacids like magic acid (FSO 3 H/SbF 5 ), allowing for highly reactive species like tert -butyl cation to be observed spectroscopically at low temperature (though tertiary carbocations do react with SO 2 above about −30 °C, and even less reactive solvents like SO 2 ClF must be used at these higher temperatures). Being easily condensed and possessing
2910-516: Is possible that black pepper was known in China in the second century BCE, if poetic reports regarding an explorer named Tang Meng (唐蒙) are correct. Sent by Emperor Wu to what is now south-west China, Tang Meng is said to have come across something called jujiang or "sauce-betel". He was told it came from the markets of Shu , an area in what is now the Sichuan province. The traditional view among historians
3007-748: Is produced biologically as an intermediate in both sulfate-reducing organisms and in sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, as well. The role of sulfur dioxide in mammalian biology is not yet well understood. Sulfur dioxide blocks nerve signals from the pulmonary stretch receptors and abolishes the Hering–Breuer inflation reflex . It is considered that endogenous sulfur dioxide plays a significant physiological role in regulating cardiac and blood vessel function, and aberrant or deficient sulfur dioxide metabolism can contribute to several different cardiovascular diseases, such as arterial hypertension , atherosclerosis , pulmonary arterial hypertension , and stenocardia . It
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3104-433: Is produced by the combustion of elemental sulfur . Some sulfur dioxide is also produced by roasting pyrite and other sulfide ores in air. Sulfur dioxide is the product of the burning of sulfur or of burning materials that contain sulfur: To aid combustion, liquified sulfur (140–150 °C (284–302 °F) is sprayed through an atomizing nozzle to generate fine drops of sulfur with a large surface area. The reaction
3201-510: Is responsible for the largest source of sulfur dioxide, volcanic eruptions. These events can release millions of tons of SO 2 . Sulfur dioxide can also be a byproduct in the manufacture of calcium silicate cement; CaSO 4 is heated with coke and sand in this process: Until the 1970s commercial quantities of sulfuric acid and cement were produced by this process in Whitehaven , England. Upon being mixed with shale or marl , and roasted,
3298-602: Is still an important compound in winemaking, and is measured in parts per million ( ppm ) in wine. It is present even in so-called unsulfurated wine at concentrations of up to 10 mg/L. It serves as an antibiotic and antioxidant , protecting wine from spoilage by bacteria and oxidation – a phenomenon that leads to the browning of the wine and a loss of cultivar specific flavors. Its antimicrobial action also helps minimize volatile acidity. Wines containing sulfur dioxide are typically labeled with "containing sulfites ". Sulfur dioxide exists in wine in free and bound forms, and
3395-520: Is that "sauce-betel" is a sauce made from betel leaves, but arguments have been made that it actually refers to pepper, either long or black. In the third century CE, black pepper made its first definite appearance in Chinese texts, as hujiao or "foreign pepper". It does not appear to have been widely known at the time, failing to appear in a fourth-century work describing a wide variety of spices from beyond China's southern border, including long pepper. By
3492-418: Is the chemical compound with the formula S O 2 . It is a colorless gas with a pungent smell that is responsible for the odor of burnt matches. It is released naturally by volcanic activity and is produced as a by-product of copper extraction and the burning of sulfur - bearing fossil fuels. Sulfur dioxide is somewhat toxic to humans, although only when inhaled in relatively large quantities for
3589-429: Is the active form, while at higher pH more SO 2 is found in the inactive sulfite and bisulfite forms. The molecular SO 2 is active as an antimicrobial and antioxidant, and this is also the form which may be perceived as a pungent odor at high levels. Wines with total SO 2 concentrations below 10 ppm do not require "contains sulfites" on the label by US and EU laws. The upper limit of total SO 2 allowed in wine in
3686-410: Is used in the production of sulfuric acid. Sulfur dioxide dissolves in water to give " sulfurous acid ", which cannot be isolated and is instead an acidic solution of bisulfite , and possibly sulfite , ions. Sulfur dioxide is one of the few common acidic yet reducing gases. It turns moist litmus pink (being acidic), then white (due to its bleaching effect). It may be identified by bubbling it through
3783-485: The Alismatales grow in marine environments, spreading with rhizomes that grow through the mud in sheltered coastal waters. Some specialised angiosperms are able to flourish in extremely acid or alkaline habitats. The sundews , many of which live in nutrient-poor acid bogs , are carnivorous plants , able to derive nutrients such as nitrate from the bodies of trapped insects. Other flowers such as Gentiana verna ,
3880-467: The Brazilian pepper tree , Schinus terebinthifolius , plants from a different family ( Anacardiaceae ). As they are members of the cashew family, they may cause allergic reactions , including anaphylaxis , for persons with a tree nut allergy . The bark of Drimys winteri ("canelo" or "winter's bark") is used as a substitute for pepper in cold and temperate regions of Chile and Argentina , where it
3977-472: The Chera Dynasty , famous for exporting black pepper and various other spices, gets mentioned in a number of classical historical sources for its trade with Roman Empire , Egypt , Mesopotamia , Levant , and Yemen . Peppercorns were a much-prized trade good, often referred to as "black gold" and used as a form of commodity money . The legacy of this trade remains in some Western legal systems that recognize
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4074-648: The Yersinia pestis bacterium, which causes bubonic plague. The application was successful, and the application of this method was extended to other areas in South America. In Buenos Aires, where these apparatuses were known as Sulfurozador , but later also in Rio de Janeiro, New Orleans and San Francisco, the sulfur dioxide treatment machines were brought into the streets to enable extensive disinfection campaigns, with effective results. Sulfur dioxide or its conjugate base bisulfite
4171-460: The orchids for part or all of their life-cycle, or on other plants , either wholly like the broomrapes, Orobanche , or partially like the witchweeds, Striga . In terms of their environment, flowering plants are cosmopolitan, occupying a wide range of habitats on land, in fresh water and in the sea. On land, they are the dominant plant group in every habitat except for frigid moss-lichen tundra and coniferous forest . The seagrasses in
4268-613: The proliferation rate of endothelial smooth muscle cells in blood vessels, via lowering the MAPK activity and activating adenylyl cyclase and protein kinase A . Smooth muscle cell proliferation is one of important mechanisms of hypertensive remodeling of blood vessels and their stenosis , so it is an important pathogenetic mechanism in arterial hypertension and atherosclerosis. Endogenous sulfur dioxide in low concentrations causes endothelium-dependent vasodilation . In higher concentrations it causes endothelium-independent vasodilation and has
4365-481: The seeds are enclosed within a fruit. The group was formerly called Magnoliophyta . Angiosperms are by far the most diverse group of land plants with 64 orders , 416 families , approximately 13,000 known genera and 300,000 known species . They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem ), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of broad-leaved trees , shrubs and vines , and most aquatic plants . Angiosperms are distinguished from
4462-883: The "Big Five" extinction events in Earth's history, only the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event had occurred while angiosperms dominated plant life on the planet. Today, the Holocene extinction affects all kingdoms of complex life on Earth, and conservation measures are necessary to protect plants in their habitats in the wild ( in situ ), or failing that, ex situ in seed banks or artificial habitats like botanic gardens . Otherwise, around 40% of plant species may become extinct due to human actions such as habitat destruction , introduction of invasive species , unsustainable logging , land clearing and overharvesting of medicinal or ornamental plants . Further, climate change
4559-440: The 12th century, however, black pepper had become a popular ingredient in the cuisine of the wealthy and powerful, sometimes taking the place of China's native Sichuan pepper (the tongue-numbing dried fruit of an unrelated plant). Marco Polo testifies to pepper's popularity in 13th-century China, when he relates what he is told of its consumption in the city of Kinsay ( Hangzhou ): "... Messer Marco heard it stated by one of
4656-494: The 14th century, but the mortar and pestle used earlier for crushing pepper have remained a popular method for centuries, as well. Enhancing the flavour profile of peppercorns (including piperine and essential oils), prior to processing, has been attempted through the postharvest application of ultraviolet-C light (UV-C). [REDACTED] Media related to Piper nigrum at Wikimedia Commons [REDACTED] Data related to Piper nigrum at Wikispecies [REDACTED] Pepper at
4753-514: The 16th century. Black peppercorns were found stuffed in the nostrils of Ramesses II , placed there as part of the mummification rituals shortly after his death in 1213 BCE. Little else is known about the use of pepper in ancient Egypt and how it reached the Nile from the Malabar Coast of South Asia. Pepper (both long and black) was known in Greece at least as early as the fourth century BCE, though it
4850-455: The Dutch in the period 1661–1663.7 As pepper supplies into Europe increased, the price of pepper declined (though the total value of the import trade generally did not). Pepper, which in the early Middle Ages had been an item exclusively for the rich, started to become more of an everyday seasoning among those of more average means. Today, pepper accounts for one-fifth of the world's spice trade. It
4947-498: The Great Kaan's officers of customs that the quantity of pepper introduced daily for consumption into the city of Kinsay amounted to 43 loads, each load being equal to 223 lbs." During the course of the Ming treasure voyages in the early 15th century, Admiral Zheng He and his expeditionary fleets returned with such a large amount of black pepper that the once-costly luxury became
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#17328559994035044-770: The Greek geographer Strabo , the early empire sent a fleet of around 120 ships on an annual trip to India and back. The fleet timed its travel across the Arabian Sea to take advantage of the predictable monsoon winds. Returning from India, the ships travelled up the Red Sea , from where the cargo was carried overland or via the Nile-Red Sea canal to the Nile River, barged to Alexandria , and shipped from there to Italy and Rome. The rough geographical outlines of this same trade route would dominate
5141-637: The Malabar area also served as a stop-off point for much of the trade in other spices from farther east in the Indian Ocean. The Maluku Islands, historically known as the "Spice Islands," are a region in Indonesia known for producing nutmeg, mace, cloves, and pepper, and were a major source of these spices in the world. The presence of these spices in the Maluku Islands sparked European interest to buy them directly in
5238-510: The Mediterranean, the trade was largely monopolized by Italian powers, especially Venice and Genoa . The rise of these city-states was funded in large part by the spice trade. A riddle authored by Saint Aldhelm , a seventh-century Bishop of Sherborne , sheds some light on black pepper's role in England at that time: I am black on the outside, clad in a wrinkled cover, Yet within I bear
5335-603: The Middle Ages – and the monopoly on the trade held by Venice – was one of the inducements that led the Portuguese to seek a sea route to India. In 1498, Vasco da Gama became the first person to reach India by sailing around Africa (see Age of Discovery ); asked by Arabs in Calicut (who spoke Spanish and Italian) why they had come, his representative replied, "we seek Christians and spices". Though this first trip to India by way of
5432-424: The Middle Ages, pepper was a luxury item , affordable only to the wealthy, who certainly had unspoiled meat available, as well. In addition, people of the time certainly knew that eating spoiled food would make them sick. Similarly, the belief that pepper was widely used as a preservative is questionable; it is true that piperine , the compound that gives pepper its spiciness, has some antimicrobial properties, but at
5529-564: The New World and of chili peppers . Chili peppers—some of which, when dried, are similar in shape and taste to long pepper—were easier to grow in a variety of locations more convenient to Europe. Before the 16th century, pepper was being grown in Java , Sunda , Sumatra , Madagascar , Malaysia, and everywhere in Southeast Asia. These areas traded mainly with China, or used the pepper locally. Ports in
5626-470: The Roman Empire , that pepper was "a favorite ingredient of the most expensive Roman cookery". Pepper was so valuable that it was often used as collateral or even currency. The taste for pepper (or the appreciation of its monetary value) was passed on to those who would see Rome fall. Alaric , king of the Visigoths , included 3,000 pounds of pepper as part of the ransom he demanded from Rome when he besieged
5723-498: The US is 350 ppm; in the EU it is 160 ppm for red wines and 210 ppm for white and rosé wines. In low concentrations, SO 2 is mostly undetectable in wine, but at free SO 2 concentrations over 50 ppm, SO 2 becomes evident in the smell and taste of wine. SO 2 is also a very important compound in winery sanitation. Wineries and equipment must be kept clean, and because bleach cannot be used in
5820-516: The Wikibooks Cookbook subproject Flowering plant Basal angiosperms Core angiosperms Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits , and form the clade Angiospermae ( / ˌ æ n dʒ i ə ˈ s p ər m iː / ). The term 'angiosperm' is derived from the Greek words ἀγγεῖον / angeion ('container, vessel') and σπέρμα / sperma ('seed'), meaning that
5917-506: The action of aqueous base on sulfur dioxide: Sulfur dioxide is a mild but useful reducing agent . It is oxidized by halogens to give the sulfuryl halides, such as sulfuryl chloride : Sulfur dioxide is the oxidising agent in the Claus process , which is conducted on a large scale in oil refineries . Here, sulfur dioxide is reduced by hydrogen sulfide to give elemental sulfur: The sequential oxidation of sulfur dioxide followed by its hydration
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#17328559994036014-400: The base of the spikes begin to turn red, and before the fruit is fully mature, and still hard; if allowed to ripen completely, the fruits lose pungency, and ultimately fall off and are lost. The spikes are collected and spread out to dry in the sun, then the peppercorns are stripped off the spikes. Black pepper is native either to Southeast Asia or South Asia . Within the genus Piper , it
6111-445: The berries, which may also yield an essential oil by extraction . White pepper consists solely of the seed of the ripe fruit of the pepper plant, with the thin darker-coloured skin (flesh) of the fruit removed. This is usually accomplished by a process known as retting , where fully ripe red pepper berries are soaked in water for about a week so the flesh of the peppercorn softens and decomposes ; rubbing then removes what remains of
6208-526: The chemical compound piperine , which is a different kind of spiciness from that of capsaicin characteristic of chili peppers . It is ubiquitous in the Western world as a seasoning , and is often paired with salt and available on dining tables in shakers or mills . The word pepper derives from Old English pipor , Latin piper , and Greek : πέπερι . The Greek likely derives from Dravidian pippali , meaning "long pepper". Sanskrit pippali shares
6305-603: The city in the fifth century. After the fall of Rome, others took over the middle legs of the spice trade , first the Persians and then the Arabs ; Innes Miller cites the account of Cosmas Indicopleustes , who travelled east to India, as proof that "pepper was still being exported from India in the sixth century". By the end of the Early Middle Ages , the central portions of the spice trade were firmly under Islamic control. Once into
6402-421: The combinations are referred to as total SO 2 . Binding, for instance to the carbonyl group of acetaldehyde , varies with the wine in question. The free form exists in equilibrium between molecular SO 2 (as a dissolved gas) and bisulfite ion, which is in turn in equilibrium with sulfite ion. These equilibria depend on the pH of the wine. Lower pH shifts the equilibrium towards molecular (gaseous) SO 2 , which
6499-517: The concentrations present when pepper is used as a spice, the effect is small. Salt is a much more effective preservative, and salt-cured meats were common fare, especially in winter. However, pepper and other spices certainly played a role in improving the taste of long-preserved meats. Archaeological evidence of pepper consumption in late medieval Northern Europe comes from excavations on the Danish-Norwegian flagship, Gribshunden , which sank in
6596-813: The dominant group of plants across the planet. Agriculture is almost entirely dependent on angiosperms, and a small number of flowering plant families supply nearly all plant-based food and livestock feed. Rice , maize and wheat provide half of the world's staple calorie intake, and all three plants are cereals from the Poaceae family (colloquially known as grasses). Other families provide important industrial plant products such as wood , paper and cotton , and supply numerous ingredients for beverages , sugar production , traditional medicine and modern pharmaceuticals . Flowering plants are also commonly grown for decorative purposes , with certain flowers playing significant cultural roles in many societies. Out of
6693-491: The fermentation and other processing removes the fruit layer (which also contains some of the spicy piperine). Other flavours also commonly develop in this process, some of which are described as off-flavours when in excess: Primarily 3-methylindole (pig manure-like), 4-methylphenol (horse manure), 3-methylphenol (phenolic), and butyric acid (cheese). The aroma of pepper is attributed to rotundone (3,4,5,6,7,8-Hexahydro-3α,8α-dimethyl-5α-(1-methylethenyl) azulene -1(2H)-one),
6790-635: The flowering plants as an unranked clade without a formal Latin name (angiosperms). A formal classification was published alongside the 2009 revision in which the flowering plants rank as the subclass Magnoliidae. From 1998, the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) has reclassified the angiosperms, with updates in the APG II system in 2003, the APG III system in 2009, and the APG IV system in 2016. In 2019,
6887-523: The fruit, and the naked seed is dried. Sometimes the outer layer is removed from the seed through other mechanical, chemical, or biological methods. Ground white pepper is commonly used in Chinese , Thai , and Portuguese cuisines . It finds occasional use in other cuisines in salads, light-coloured sauces, and mashed potatoes as a substitute for black pepper, because black pepper would visibly stand out. However, white pepper lacks certain compounds present in
6984-556: The items in Rome, and, elsewhere, he cites a figure of 100 million sesterces. Black pepper was a well-known and widespread, if expensive, seasoning in the Roman Empire. Apicius ' De re coquinaria , a third-century cookbook probably based at least partly on one from the first century CE, includes pepper in a majority of its recipes. Edward Gibbon wrote, in The History of the Decline and Fall of
7081-587: The leaf nodes, the spikes lengthening up to 7 to 15 cm (2.8 to 5.9 in) as the fruit matures. Pepper can be grown in soil that is neither too dry nor susceptible to flooding, moist, well-drained, and rich in organic matter. The vines do not do well over an altitude of 900 m (3,000 ft) above sea level. The plants are propagated by cuttings about 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20 in) long, tied up to neighbouring trees or climbing frames at distances of about 2 m (6 ft 7 in) apart; trees with rough bark are favoured over those with smooth bark, as
7178-420: The lone pair on S. SO 2 functions as a Lewis acids in its η -SO 2 (S-bonded pyramidal) bonding mode with metals and in its 1:1 adducts with Lewis bases such as dimethylacetamide and trimethyl amine . When bonding to Lewis bases the acid parameters of SO 2 are E A = 0.51 and E A = 1.56. The overarching, dominant use of sulfur dioxide is in the production of sulfuric acid . Sulfur dioxide
7275-518: The manner of vines or lianas . The number of species of flowering plants is estimated to be in the range of 250,000 to 400,000. This compares to around 12,000 species of moss and 11,000 species of pteridophytes . The APG system seeks to determine the number of families , mostly by molecular phylogenetics . In the 2009 APG III there were 415 families. The 2016 APG IV added five new orders (Boraginales, Dilleniales, Icacinales, Metteniusales and Vahliales), along with some new families, for
7372-502: The most widely traded spice in the world, accounting for 20% of all spice imports. Black pepper is native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been known to Indian cooking since at least 2000 BCE. J. Innes Miller notes that while pepper was grown in southern Thailand and in Malaysia , its most important source was India, particularly the Malabar Coast , in what is now the state of Kerala . The lost ancient port city of Muziris of
7469-421: The myocardial antioxidant defense reserve. Sulfur dioxide is a versatile inert solvent widely used for dissolving highly oxidizing salts. It is also used occasionally as a source of the sulfonyl group in organic synthesis . Treatment of aryl diazonium salts with sulfur dioxide and cuprous chloride yields the corresponding aryl sulfonyl chloride, for example: As a result of its very low Lewis basicity , it
7566-554: The other major seed plant clade, the gymnosperms , by having flowers , xylem consisting of vessel elements instead of tracheids , endosperm within their seeds, and fruits that completely envelop the seeds. The ancestors of flowering plants diverged from the common ancestor of all living gymnosperms before the end of the Carboniferous , over 300 million years ago. In the Cretaceous , angiosperms diversified explosively , becoming
7663-545: The outer fruit and the seed. Black pepper contains between 4.6 and 9.7% piperine by mass, and white pepper slightly more than that. Refined piperine, by weight, is about one percent as hot as the capsaicin found in chili peppers . The outer fruit layer, left on black pepper, also contains aroma -contributing terpenes , including germacrene (11%), limonene (10%), pinene (10%), alpha-phellandrene (9%), and beta-caryophyllene (7%), which give citrusy, woody, and floral notes. These scents are mostly missing in white pepper, as
7760-528: The outer layer of the drupe, resulting in a different overall flavour. Green pepper, like black pepper, is made from unripe drupes. Dried green peppercorns are treated in a way that retains the green colour, such as with sulfur dioxide , canning , or freeze-drying . Pickled peppercorns, also green, are unripe drupes preserved in brine or vinegar . Fresh, unpreserved green pepper drupes are used in some cuisines like Thai cuisine and Tamil cuisine . Their flavour has been described as "spicy and fresh", with
7857-639: The pepper plants climb rough bark more readily. Competing plants are cleared away, leaving only sufficient trees to provide shade and permit free ventilation. The roots are covered in leaf mulch and manure , and the shoots are trimmed twice a year. On dry soils, the young plants require watering every other day during the dry season for the first three years. The plants bear fruit from the fourth or fifth year, and then typically for seven years. The cuttings are usually cultivars , selected both for yield and quality of fruit. A single stem bears 20 to 30 fruiting spikes. The harvest begins as soon as one or two fruits at
7954-489: The pepper trade into Europe for a millennium and a half to come. With ships sailing directly to the Malabar coast, Malabar black pepper was now travelling a shorter trade route than long pepper, and the prices reflected it. Pliny the Elder 's Natural History tells us the prices in Rome around 77 CE: "Long pepper ... is 15 denarii per pound, while that of white pepper is seven, and of black, four." Pliny also complains, "There
8051-414: The pepper, accelerating enzymes that cause browning during drying. The pepper drupes can also be dried in the sun or by machine for several days, during which the pepper skin around the seed shrinks and darkens into a thin, wrinkled black layer containing melanoidin . Once dry, the spice is called black peppercorn. After the peppercorns are dried, pepper powder for culinary uses is obtained by crushing
8148-571: The same meaning. In the 16th century, people began using pepper to also mean the New World chili pepper (genus Capsicum ), which is not closely related. Processed peppercorns come in a variety of colours, any one of which may be used in food preparation, especially common peppercorn sauce . Black pepper is produced from the still-green, unripe drupe of the pepper plant. The drupes are cooked briefly in hot water, both to clean them and to prepare them for drying. The heat ruptures cell walls in
8245-465: The southern tip of Africa was only a modest success, the Portuguese quickly returned in greater numbers and eventually gained much greater control of trade on the Arabian Sea. The 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas granted Portugal exclusive rights to the half of the world where black pepper originated. However, the Portuguese monopolized the spice trade for 150 years. Portuguese even became the lingua franca of
8342-568: The spring gentian, are adapted to the alkaline conditions found on calcium -rich chalk and limestone , which give rise to often dry topographies such as limestone pavement . As for their growth habit , the flowering plants range from small, soft herbaceous plants , often living as annuals or biennials that set seed and die after one growing season, to large perennial woody trees that may live for many centuries and grow to many metres in height. Some species grow tall without being self-supporting like trees by climbing on other plants in
8439-510: The sulfate liberated sulfur dioxide gas, used in sulfuric acid production, the reaction also produced calcium silicate, a precursor in cement production. On a laboratory scale, the action of hot concentrated sulfuric acid on copper turnings produces sulfur dioxide. Tin also reacts with concentrated sulfuric acid but it produces tin(II) sulfate which can later be pyrolyzed at 360 °C into tin dioxide and dry sulfur dioxide. The reverse reaction occurs upon acidification: Sulfites results by
8536-471: The sulfur atom has an oxidation state of +4 and a formal charge of +1. Sulfur dioxide is found on Earth and exists in very small concentrations in the atmosphere at about 15 ppb . On other planets, sulfur dioxide can be found in various concentrations, the most significant being the atmosphere of Venus , where it is the third-most abundant atmospheric gas at 150 ppm. There, it reacts with water to form clouds of Sulfurous acid (SO2 + H2O ⇌ HSO−3+ H+), and
8633-497: The summer of 1495. In 2021, archaeologists recovered more than 2000 peppercorns from the wreck, along with a variety of other spices and exotic foodstuffs including clove, ginger, saffron, and almond. The ship was carrying King Hans to a political summit at the time of its loss. The spices were likely intended for feasts at the summit, which would have included the Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish Councils of State. Its exorbitant price during
8730-408: The term " peppercorn rent " as a token payment for something that is, essentially, a gift. The ancient history of black pepper is often interlinked with (and confused with) that of long pepper , the dried fruit of closely related Piper longum . The Romans knew of both and often referred to either as just piper . In fact, the popularity of long pepper did not entirely decline until the discovery of
8827-603: The then known world. The spice trade made Portugal rich. However in the 17th century, the Portuguese lost most of their valuable Indian Ocean trade to the Dutch and the English , who, taking advantage of the Spanish rule over Portugal during the Iberian Union (1580–1640), occupied by force almost all Portuguese interests in the area. The pepper ports of Malabar began to trade increasingly with
8924-565: The trailing hemisphere of Io , and in the crust and mantle of Europa , Ganymede , and Callisto , possibly also in liquid form and readily reacting with water. Sulfur dioxide is primarily produced for sulfuric acid manufacture (see contact process , but other processes predated that at least since 16th century ). In the United States in 1979, 23.6 million metric tons (26 million U.S. short tons) of sulfur dioxide were used in this way, compared with 150,000 metric tons (165,347 U.S. short tons) used for other purposes. Most sulfur dioxide
9021-546: The wild source gradually decreasing as the quality and yield of the cultivated variety improved. No successful grafting of commercial pepper on wild pepper has been achieved to date. In 2020, Vietnam was the world's largest producer and exporter of black peppercorns, producing 270,192 tonnes or 36% of the world total (table). Other major producers were Brazil , Indonesia , India , Sri Lanka , China , and Malaysia . Global pepper production varies annually according to crop management, disease, and weather. Peppercorns are among
9118-483: Was coined in the form "Angiospermae" by Paul Hermann in 1690, including only flowering plants whose seeds were enclosed in capsules. The term angiosperm fundamentally changed in meaning in 1827 with Robert Brown , when angiosperm came to mean a seed plant with enclosed ovules. In 1851, with Wilhelm Hofmeister 's work on embryo-sacs, Angiosperm came to have its modern meaning of all the flowering plants including Dicotyledons and Monocotyledons. The APG system treats
9215-523: Was probably an uncommon and expensive item that only the very rich could afford. By the time of the early Roman Empire , especially after Rome's conquest of Egypt in 30 BCE, open-ocean crossing of the Arabian Sea direct to Chera dynasty southern India 's Malabar Coast was near routine. Details of this trading across the Indian Ocean have been passed down in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea . According to
9312-572: Was shown that in children with pulmonary arterial hypertension due to congenital heart diseases the level of homocysteine is higher and the level of endogenous sulfur dioxide is lower than in normal control children. Moreover, these biochemical parameters strongly correlated to the severity of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Authors considered homocysteine to be one of useful biochemical markers of disease severity and sulfur dioxide metabolism to be one of potential therapeutic targets in those patients. Endogenous sulfur dioxide also has been shown to lower
9409-463: Was usually done outdoors, by igniting sublimed sulfur and burning in an enclosed space with the fruits. Fruits may be sulfured by dipping them into an either sodium bisulfite , sodium sulfite or sodium metabisulfite . Sulfur dioxide was first used in winemaking by the Romans, when they discovered that burning sulfur candles inside empty wine vessels keeps them fresh and free from vinegar smell. It
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