Thanks for posting!
started searching “gingerol” using the gibiru.com search engine.
more ginger chemistry
https://www.peakscientific.com/discover/news/gingerol-the-chemistry-behind-ginger/
Fresh raw ginger root consists of various chemical compounds, including zingiberene, which makes up about 30% of the essential oil found in the root. It also consists of other compounds such as ß-sesquiphelandrene and ar-curucumene but the pungency is down to the presence of compounds known as gingerols. Chemically, gingerol is related to capsaicin, the compound that makes chillies so spicy, and piperine, a compound present in black pepper.
Interestingly, some gingerol is altered when ginger is cooked and can even transform into different a different compound. When ginger is heated, gingerol changes and becomes zingerone, due to a reverse aldol reaction. This process softens the pungent taste found in fresh ginger and produces a spicy yet sweet aroma, just like the ginger we can taste in gingerbread.
However, when ginger is dried or slightly heated, gingerol goes through a dehydration process, which forms shogaols – compounds about twice as spicy as gingerol! This explains why when dry, ginger has a much stronger pungency to it than fresh ginger.
It may be more popular over Christmas, but with so many ways to cook and serve ginger, there really isn’t a right or wrong time to enjoy the spice is there?