Characterization of total capsaicinoids, colour and volatile compounds of Habanero chilli pepper ( Capsicum chinense Jack.) cultivars grown in Yucatan

• Published in: Food chemistry 2007, Vol.104 (4), p.1682-1686
• Main Authors: Pino, Jorge, González, Marilú, Ceballos, Liena, Centurión-Yah, Alma Rosa, Trujillo-Aguirre, Jorge, Latournerie-Moreno, Luis, Sauri-Duch, Enrique
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aroma and flavouring agent industries; Biological and medical sciences; capsaicin; Capsaicinoids; Capsicum chinense; chemical constituents of plants; Chilli pepper; color; Colour; cultivars; esters; food analysis; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; peppers; sensory properties; Volatile compounds
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2006.12.067

Total capsaicinoids, colour and volatile compounds of 10 Habanero chilli pepper ( Capsicum chinense Jack.) cultivars grown in Yucatan, grouped by their colours: four red, five orange and one brown, were determined. The content of capsaicinoids, responsible for the pungency of chilli peppers, varied between 41.8 and 65.9 mg g −1 dry fruit. Mean concentration of orange cultivars was 55.0 mg g −1, while red cultivars had 45.0 mg g −1 dry fruit, indicating that the first ones are more pungent. The composition of volatile compounds of the Habanero chilli peppers differs clearly for the different cultivars. Orange and brown cultivars have in general higher amounts of esters, with their fruity odour notes, than red cultivars. These differences are reflected in the amount of total volatiles, which is higher in orange and brown cultivars in comparison with red cultivars. From these results it can be concluded that orange and brown cultivars are better in terms of their flavour-relevant chemical composition than red cultivars.