Sriracha, the famous hot sauce, could be one of the most preferred condiments across the world. The American Chemical Society (ACS) has come up with a reason explaining what makes the spicy red condiment highly desirable despite its painfully chili taste.

They have studied the chemistry of the sauce. Red chili pepper is one of the main ingredients in the sauce and red chili peppers contain capsaicinoids. It is the capsaicin that leads to the burning sensation for which the sauce is quite famous for.

To counter the same, body releases pain relieving endorphins. These are similar to the ones that get released after an intense workout. Salt, garlic and vinegar are the other three main items in the sauce. All these ingredients are responsible to increase the shelf life of the sauce and to maintain the red color of it.

It is combination of the ingredients and response generated by the body that provides pleasure and this is why the sauce is loved so much. Not only red chilies, but jalapeños and fiery habaneros are found to be having capsaicin.

Capsaicin is a compound that does not have flavor, odor and color. It shall be noted that higher the amount of capsaicin, the hotter the pepper is and higher is the level of antioxidants in it. It is said that capsaicin has health benefits, evidence for the same are not sure.