Content of Capsaicin in Pepper Fruits (Capsicum annuum L.)

Abstract

The varieties of genus Capsicum, in dependence on the type, cultivars, maturity, the effect of the light type (intensity of the solar light or fluorescent light), moisture and temperature during the vegetation, are rich with many different groups of biological active compounds. From all groups of biological active – secondary metabolites, in the species of genus Capsicum the most importance have the alkaloids capsaicinoides, which are present only in the cultivars of genus Capsicum, and only they are responsible for the pungent of pepper. From all capsaicinoides only two compounds with 80-90% are responsible for the pungent of pepper and they are capsaicin and dihidrocapsaicin. The purpose of our examination was to evaluate the total content of capsaicin in the nine different in pungent varieties of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.).