ANALYSIS OF CAPSAICIN AND DIHYDROCAPSAICIN IN HOT PEPPERS BY ULTRASOUND ASSISTED EXTRACTION FOLLOWED BY GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY–MASS SPECTROMETRY

Abstract

A simple method for the analysis of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin in peppers by ultrasound assisted extraction (USAE) followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has been developed. USAE conditions were optimized by experimental design in order to maximize analyte extraction. A full factorial design involving extraction variables such as solvent (ethanol and water), extraction time (5–25 min), extraction temperature (25–50 °C), sample amount (0.25–0.5 g), and ultrasound amplitude (40–80%) was applied. The most significant conditions for capsaicinoid extraction by USAE were solvent type, extraction time, and sample amount. The obtained results were compared with other extraction methods: the official Soxhlet method and a previously reported solid phase microextraction method. Results showed that the extraction efficiency with the application of USAE (98%) was as good as that obtained with Soxhlet and the precision of recovery was less than 5%; in addition, the extraction time was decreased from 5 h to 25 min. The GC-MS analytical method was linear in the range 10–100 μg/mL for capsaicin and dihydrocpsaicin with correlation coefficient r = 0.998 and peak area variability of ∼1% for both capsaicinoids. The method was applied to the analysis of 11 varieties of hot peppers cultivated in México. A large concentration range for capsaicin (101–6800 μg/g) and dihydrocapsaicin (110–2736 μg/g) was found in these pepper samples.