Capsaicinoids originate in the white pith of chilli peppers, which, unfortunately, are a rather finicky crop. They’re grown in open fields, leaving them susceptible to detrimental conditions like high precipitation and high temperatures, and their capsaicinoid levels can vary widely based on the environments in which they are cultivated. Peppers are also vulnerable to soil-borne diseases, and their seed germination can be quite slow. Contrast this with the hardy tomato, which is often grown indoors, has a high yield and is generally much easier to cultivate. Tomatoes, in other words, may offer a promising avenue for producing capsaicinoids at a commercial level.
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
