How Hot (And Not-So-Hot) Compounds In Chili Peppers Change During Ripening

Hot peppers are cultivated all over the world for use as foods, spices and ingredients. The spiciness, or pungency, of chili peppers depends on the accumulation of capsaicinoids. Although capsinoids have similar structures to capsaicinoids, they are about 1,000 times less pungent. Scientists have reported health benefits for both groups of compounds, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, anticancer and anti-obesity effects. ”

The researchers grew and collected the three types of peppers at various stages of fruit development. Using a sensitive mass spectrometry technique, they found that capsinoids in all three peppers began to accumulate 20 days after flower opening, reaching a peak at 40 days, and then decreasing until 60 days after flowering. In contrast, capsaicinoid accumulation varied between the super-hot Bhut Jolokia and the other two peppers.

The authors acknowledge funding from the National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (Spain), the European Regional Development Fund and the University of Cadiz.

Contacts and sources:
American Chemical Society

Citation: “Assessment of Capsaicinoid and Capsinoid Accumulation Patterns during Fruit Development in Three Chili Pepper Genotypes (Capsicum spp.) Carrying Pun1 and pAMT Alleles Related to Pungency”Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry