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2000
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December
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In the Laboratory
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Hot Chili Peppers: Extraction, Cleanup, and Measurement of Capsaicin
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Jiping Huang and Scott A. Mabury
Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3H6, Canada
John C. Sagebiel
Desert Research Institute, Energy & Environmental Engineering Center, Reno, NV 89506
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December 2000
Vol. 77 No. 12
p. 1630
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| Abstract |
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Capsaicin, the pungent ingredient of the red pepper or Capsicum annuum, is widely used in food preparation. The purpose of this experiment was to acquaint students with the active ingredients of hot chili pepper (capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin), the extraction, cleanup, and analysis of these chemicals, as a fun and informative analytical exercise. Fresh peppers were prepared and extracted with acetonitrile, removing plant co-extractives by addition to a C-18 solid-phase extraction cartridge. Elution of the capsaicinoids was accomplished with a methanol-acetic acid solution. Analysis was completed by reverse-phase HPLC with diode-array or variable wavelength detection and calibration with external standards. Levels of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin were typically found to correlate with literature values for a specific hot pepper variety. Students particularly enjoyed relating concentrations of capsaicinoids to their perceived valuation of "hotness".
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| Supplement |
The student handout and instructions for the teaching assistant or laboratory instructor are available.
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 Contents |
JCE2000p1630W.mac (Microsoft Word 5, Macintosh); JCE2000p1630W.pcx (Windows)
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| More Information |
Citation |
Huang, Jiping; Mabury, Scott A.; Sagebiel, John C. J. Chem. Educ. 2000 77 1630.
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Keywords |
Analytical Chemistry; Chromatography; Food Science; Laboratory Instruction; Natural Products
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History |
Created:
Last Updated: |
November 3, 2000
August 31, 2005
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| Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues >
2000
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December
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1630
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