Capsaicinoids in pepper

For a long time, hot pepper fruit is used for preparing spicy sauces and also in Mexican and Asian cuisines.

The plant synthesizes and accumulates capsaicinoids, a group of alkaloids responsible for the hot or spicy flavor, which are located primarily in the tissue of the placenta adjacent to the seeds. Capsaicinoids are soluble in moderate polar organic solvents e.g. chloroform, acetone, ethyl acetate, methylene chloride, methanol, ethanol, acetonitrile, and among others.

Twelve compounds have been identified but capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin are responsible for about 90% of the spiciness. Their concentration depends on genotype, fruit maturity, and conditions of cultivation.

Capsaicinoids are derivates of benzylamin. Capsaicin, a homovanillic acid derivative (8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide), is an active component of the red pepper.

The most abundant and potent analogues in peppers (and consequently pepper extracts) are capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin. Capsaicin is represented with 69% in the group of capsacinoids; dihydrocapsacinoids with 22%; nordihydrocapsacinoids with 7%; homocapsaicin and homohydrocapsaicin takes only 1% in the group of capsaicinoids.

The concentration of capsaicinoids in hot pepper varieties ranges from 0.003 to 0.01%; varieties of mild chillies contain from 0.5 to 0.3%, and strong chillies are characterized by a content higher than 0.3%, reaching about 1%.
Capsaicinoids in pepper

Piquant foods

Piquant foods actually cause a degree of pain, in a way that offends some eaters but excites and pleases others.

The word piquant first appeared in English in the 17th century and which derives from the Middle French verb piquer, meaning "to sting" or "to prick." Though first used to describe foods with spicy flavors, the word is now often used to describe things that are spicy in other ways, such as engaging conversation.

Americans' taste for spicy food is due to the wave of Hispanic immigration that hit the nation in the 1990s. But it’s also due to a growing number of Baby Boomers demanding stronger flavors to compensate for the loss of some taste buds during the aging process.

The piquancy/spiciness of hot peppers is primarily attributable to the presence of capsaicin (trans-8-methyl-N-vanillyl-nonenamide, a pungent vanilloid compound and dihydrocapsaicin. The capsaicin content of green and red peppers ranges from 0.1 to 1%.

Piquancy/spiciness is a highly desirable food attribute. In fact, chiles are eaten by one in four of people every day. Spicy food does not only provide an important hedonic input in daily life, but has also been anecdotally associated to beneficial effects on our health.

The ingestion of red pepper was found to decrease appetite and energy intake in people of Asian origin and white people and might reduce the risk of overweight and obesity. In addition, the bioactive agents in spices have also shown beneficial roles in obesity, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal conditions, various cancers, neurogenic bladder, and dermatological conditions.

The burn of capsaicin is estimated on the Scoville Scale, in units known as Scoville Heat Units. Basically, the amount by which a sample has to be diluted before the presence of capsaicin can no longer be tasted by a majority of tasters provides the SHU. Bell peppers score 0 on the Scoville scale, while jalapenos come in at somewhere between 5,000 and 50,000, and orange habaneros at 100,000-350,000 SHU.
Piquant foods