the chili fruits. The major analogs are capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin, accounting for more than 90% of the total capsaicinoid content in the majority of Capsicum spp. ( Nunez-Palenius and Ochoa-Alejo, 2005 ). Genetically, capsaicinoid production is
Kirby, 1968 ). Capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin are the most abundant capsaicinoids in hot peppers ( Iwai et al., 1979 ) and are responsible for 90% of their pungency ( Govindarajan, 1986 ; Govindarajan and Sathyanarayana, 1991 ; Kosuge and Furata, 1970
, genotype) and their interactions. Table 3. Fruit colors and fruit weights of mature Habanero peppers ( C. chinense ) grown in three Texas locations. Capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin. The capsaicin data from the ANOVA found significant F-values for L, G, and
In order to evaluate the advantages of parthenocarpy in the breeding of Capsicum, we investigated the percentage of fruit set after emasculation or excision of styles, fruit size, and amounts of ß-carotene, capsaicinoids, and ascorbic acids of the seedless fruits of Capsicum annuum L. `Shishiroh' no. 562. Seedless fruits were induced from ≈80% of flower buds after emasculation or excision of styles. The levels of ß-carotene (44.07 μg·g-1), capsaicin (1.73 mg·g-1), and dihydrocapsaicin (1.12 mg·g-1) of mature seedless fruits were 10 times higher than those of seeded fruits. The amount of ascorbic acid, however, was at the same level (≈230 mg/100 g). The length of the seedless fruit was ≈50% smaller than that of the seeded fruit at 2 weeks after the flowering and decreased to 44% at mature stage.
wavelength of detector was set at 284 nm. The external standards for capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin (Fluka #37274; Fluka Chemie, Buchs, Switzerland) were prepared in 0, 50, 100, 500, and 1,000 ppm solutions. Capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin were converted to
different capsaicinoids have been detected in chile peppers ( Bosland and Votava, 2012 ), the most common capsaicinoids in the fruit are capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin. In most species and cultivars, capsaicin is the most abundant followed by
Pungency, caused by the presence of capsaicinoids, is a major quality-determining factor in chile (CapsicumL. sp.) The inheritance of nordihydrocapsaicin, capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin, isomer of dihydrocapsaicin, and homodihydrocapsaicin has not yet been determined. Generations mean analysis revealed that additive, dominance, and interaction effects were significant for capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin, and isomer of dihydrocapsaicin in an interspecific hybridization of C. annuum L. × C. chinense Jacq. A simple additive-dominance model was sufficient to explain the genetic variation for nordihydrocapsaicin and homodihydrocapsaicin. Except dihydrocapsaicin and isomer of dihydrocapsaicin in the BCP1 family, the values of backcross families shift toward the recurrent parents. Because of the significant additive gene effect and the tendency of the values of the capsaicinoids at backcross families to shift toward the recurrent parents, repeated backcrossing and selection will increase and decrease (depending on the recurrent parent) the capsaicinoid content. Positive genetic correlations were observed between the capsaicinoids and the values ranged from 0.4 to 0.8. The estimated number of effective factors were 0.4 for nordihydrocapsaicin, 0.6 for homodihydrocapsaicin, 0.9 for isomer of dihydrocapsaicin, 1.1 for dihydrocapsaicin, 2.8 for total capsaicinoids, and 6.2 for capsaicin. Different gene actions and a different number of effective factors involved in the capsaicinoids inheritance imply that different genes are controlling the synthesis of each capsaicinoid.
Colorimetric and chromatographic methods were used to assess capsaicinoid levels in a pungent Caribbean-grown pepper collection comprising 28 accessions of Capsicum chinense and one each of C. annuum and C. frutescens. Two colorimetric methods, one commonly used and attributed to Bajaj (1980) and a modification of the Bajaj method were also compared for congruity and ease of use. Capsaicin content of the cultivars ranged from 37.6 to 497.0 mg/100 g in ripe fruits and 27.8 to 404.5 mg/100 g in green fruit, as determined by Bajaj's method. The corresponding Scoville units of pungency varied from 15,000 to 300,000 for ripe fruit and 7,500 to 270,000 for green fruit. Levels of capsaicin assessed by the modified Bajaj method varied from 15.0 to 402.4 mg/100 g and 13.7 to 356.4 mg/100 g in ripe and green fruit, respectively. On the basis of capsaicin levels assessed by each colorimetric method, the pepper cultivars were differentiated into seven distinct pungency groups. For each method, similar groupings of cultivars were observed for ripe and green fruit and groups of the same numerical designation were mainly comprised of common assessions. These results indicate that the two colorimetric methods generally agree. In contrast, the modified colorimetric method was more efficient than Bajaj's procedure, which required pretreatment of pepper extracts to remove the extracting solvent by evaporation and interfering chromogenic pigments by column chromatography. Phase separation of capsaicin and interfering pigments in pepper extracts by use of dilute acid was the only pretreatment required in the modified Bajaj method before colorimetry. High performance liquid chromatography performed on fruit extracts of the cultivars revealed the presence of the capsaicinoids capsaicin, homocapsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin, nordihydrocapsaicin, and homodihydrocapsaicin. Capsaicin and homocapsaicin were detected in greater abundance than dihydrocapsaicin and nordihydrocapsaicin in fruit of all cultivars. Homodihydrocapsaicin was the least abundant of the capsaicinoids and was generally absent in ripe fruit.
The demand for hot sauce products continues to expand in the U.S. In the case of jalapeno pepper sauce, there are many cultivars available for sauce production but those best suited for processing have not been adequately determined. Six cultivars (four replications) of jalapeno peppers (`Coyame', `Grande', `Jalapeno-M', `Mitla', `Tula' and `Veracruz') were evaluated for mash fermentation. The attributes studied during mash aging were color spectra, capsaicin content and fermentable sugars. Fructose and glucose were the predominant sugars in jalapeno peppers and these sugars were utilized gradually with time indicating slow fermentation by microorganisms in the 15% salt mash. Capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin were the predominant capsaicinoids in the jalapeno peppers with `Tula' containing the greatest concentration and `Veracruz' the least. All mashes displayed an apparent and unexpected rise in measurable capsaicinoids up to 6 months with a decline at 12 months. Color changes in the pepper mash were rapid initially but slowed after the first month of fermentation. Percent reflectance in fresh ground peppers was strongest in the range of 550–560 nm but, after salting, reflectance shifted to 580–590 nm and remained throughout the fermentation. Based on the characteristics tested, any of these cultivars would make a suitable mash for sauce. The heat content of the final product could be controlled by cultivar selection or through blending.
Red pepper, as an ingredient of Kimchi, is an important horticultural crop in Korea, and capsaicinoid content is a major factor determining the pungent quality of red pepper. To clarify the factors affecting capsaicinoid content, 122 red pepper samples of 24 varieties were collected from 21 cultivation sites in Cheongyang area, South Korea, and their nordihydrocapsaicin (NDC), capsaicin (CAP), and dihydrocapsaicin (DHC) contents were evaluated by using an HPLC. The average content of NDC, CAP, and DHC were 4.8, 74.2, and 26.5 mg/100 g, respectively, and its relative composition ratios were slightly affected by variety or cultivation places. In most cultivation places, capsaicinoid contents showed significant dependence upon variety, in that cv. WangJangKum (225.5 mg/100 g) exhibited 6.2-fold higher total capsaicinoid contents when compared to cv. ChonHaTongIl (36.2 mg/100 g). Even the same cultivar (e.g., WangDaeGum) exhibited almost 2-fold variations according to cultivation places, indicating the dependence of capsaicinoid content of red peppers upon the cultivation sites. Analysis of variance revealed significant variety–cultivation place interactions in CAP, DHC, and total capsaicinoid contents, but not in NDC. This data suggests the necessity of more-careful selection of variety and cultivation place corresponding to the expected pungency of harvested red peppers.