Chili Powder Samples Research Articles

Determination of sudan III using nitrogen and sulfur co-doped carbon quantum dots with fluorescence enhancement effect

Sudan III, a synthetic azo dye, is commonly used for coloring oils, waxes, and various plastics. However, its unauthorized presence in food and food products poses serious health hazards, including potential carcinogenic effects. In this study, we investigated the application of nitrogen and sulfur co-doped carbon quantum dots (N,S-CQDs) as a fluorescence sensor to detect trace amounts of sudan III. When exposed to trace amounts of sudan III, the fluorescence signal of N,S-CQDs was significantly enhanced. Under optimal conditions (pH 5.0 and an incubation time of 4 minutes), the fluorescence enhancement of N,S-CQDs showed a linear relationship with sudan III concentration in the range of 7.5 x 10-10 to 1.0 x 10-8 M, with a limit of detection of 2.0 x 10-10 M (equivalent to 0.07 ppb). The method demonstrated high accuracy (recovery from 91.5% to 103.5%), good reproducibility (RSD < 3.86%), and excellent selectivity for sudan III over other azo dyes. We successfully applied this developed method to analyze sudan III in chili sauce and chili powder samples, cross-checking differences between results less than 10% with LC-MS/MS analysis.

A sensitive immunochromatography assay based on quantum dot nanobeads for determination of acid orange II

Acid orange II (AO2) is a synthetic azo dye commonly used illegally in food production and processing. The development of a fast and effective analytical method is crucial for controlling the unlawful use of AO2 in food, especially in seasoning. Here, an antibody specific for AO2 was generated, with 1.01 ng/mL IC50 and minimal cross-reactivity with other analogs (<1 %, including sunset yellow, tartrazine, para red, chromotrope FB, Sudan Ⅰ, rhodamine B, 2-naphthol, amaranth, ponceau 4 R and allura red AC). Furthermore, a highly sensitive quantum dot beads-based fluorescence immunochromatography assay (QBs-FICA) was established for AO2 determination. The assay had a working range of 23–287 μg/kg with a 11 μg/kg limit of detection (LOD) in chili powder and hotpot seasoning samples. Using spiked samples, the results of QBs-FICA were found to be consistent with those of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. This indicates that QBs-FICA is a reliable, rapid, and portable tool for testing of AO2.

Detection of aflatoxin B1 in chili powder using attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

Aflatoxin B1, a major global food safety concern, is produced by toxigenic fungi during crop growing, drying, and storage, and shows increasing annual prevalence. This study aimed to detect aflatoxin B1 in chili samples using ATR-FTIR coupled with machine learning algorithms. We found that 83.6% of the chili powder samples were contaminated with Aspergillus and Penicillium species, with aflatoxin B1 levels ranging from 7.63 to 44.32 μg/kg. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy in the fingerprint region (1800-400 cm-1) showed peak intensity variation in the bands at 1587, 1393, and 1038 cm-1, which are mostly related to aflatoxin B1 structure. The PCA plots from samples with different trace amounts of aflatoxin B1 could not be separated. Vibrational spectroscopy combined with machine learning was applied to address this issue. The logistic regression model had the best F1 score with the highest %accuracy (73%), %sensitivity (73%), and %specificity (71%), followed by random forest and support vector machine models. Although the logistic regression model contributed significant findings, this study represents a laboratory research project. Because of the peculiarities of the ATR-FTIR spectral measurements, the spectra measured for several batches may differ, necessitating running the model on multiple spectral ranges and using increased sample sizes in subsequent applications. This proposed method has the potential to provide rapid and accurate results and may be valuable in future applications regarding toxin detection in foods when simple onsite testing is required.

Screening method for the analysis of Rhodamine B in chili powder

Rhodamine B is a synthetic dye known to enhance the visual appearance of chili powder. Due to its toxicity and carcinogenicity, chromatographic methods have been developed to monitor its presence in adulterated chili powder, but their assays are laborious, time consuming and expensive for screening purposes. The present studies propose an alternative for screening Rhodamine B in chili powder samples. The method combines thin layer chromatography (TLC) to solid surface room-temperature fluorescence spectroscopy. The scrape-dissolution procedure common to the instrumental analysis of TLC procedures was replaced with a fiber optic probe coupled to a commercial spectrofluorometer. The determination of Rhodamine B on the chromatographic plate is based on its retardation factor and maximum excitation and emission wavelengths. The limit of detection (1.9 ng.mL−1) and the limit of quantitation (5.2 ng.mL−1) are well below the usual contamination of Rhodamine B in adulterated foods.

Covalent organic framework/layered double hydroxide composite-coated poly(ether ether ketone) jacket for stir bar sorptive extraction of Sudan dyes.

A novel coating for stir bar sorptive extraction was developed by growing a covalent organic framework, TpPa-1 (derived from phenylenediamine and 1,3,5-trimethylphloroglucinol), onto the surface of Ni-Al layered double hydroxide. Using a poly(ether ether ketone) tube as the supporting substrate, a TpPa-1/layered double hydroxide-coated stir bar was fabricated and demonstrated excellent extraction performance for Sudan dyes. Notably, its extraction efficiency significantly exceeded that of stir bars modified with only TpPa-1 or Ni-Al layered double hydroxide. Based on this innovative coating, a stir bar sorptive extraction-high performance liquid chromatography method was established. This method exhibited low limits of detection (0.04-0.08ng/mL) for the analysis of Sudan dyes. It also featured a wide linear range (0.25-100 or 200ng/mL) and demonstrated good repeatability with relative standard deviations ≤6.22%. The recoveries obtained for spiked lake water and chili powder samples were 93.5%-105.2% and 87.8%-100.6%, respectively, demonstrating the practical potential of the developed method for detecting trace Sudan dyes in real samples.

A Study of Resistome in Mexican Chili Powder as a Public Health Risk Factor.

Chili powder is an important condiment around the world. However, according to various reports, the presence of pathogenic microorganisms could present a public health risk factor during its consumption. Therefore, microbiological quality assessment is required to understand key microbial functional traits, such as antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). In this study, metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) and bioinformatics analysis were used to characterize the comprehensive profiles of the bacterial community and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in 15 chili powder samples from different regions of Mexico. The initial bacterial load showed aerobic mesophilic bacteria (AMB) ranging between 6 × 103 and 7 × 108 CFU/g, sporulated mesophilic bacteria (SMB) from 4.3 × 103 to 2 × 109 CFU/g, and enterobacteria (En) from <100 to 2.3 × 106 CFU/g. The most representative families in the samples were Bacillaceae and Enterobacteriaceae, in which 18 potential pathogen-associated species were detected. In total, the resistome profile in the chili powder contained 68 unique genes, which conferred antibiotic resistance distributed in 13 different classes. Among the main classes of antibiotic resistance genes with a high abundance in almost all the samples were those related to multidrug, tetracycline, beta-lactam, aminoglycoside, and phenicol resistance. Our findings reveal the utility of mNGS in elucidating microbiological quality in chili powder to reduce the public health risks and the spread of potential pathogens with antibiotic resistance mechanisms.

Quality and Adulteration in Ethnic Spices and Food Ingredients in Local Market

The quality of Food depends on the nature of the ingredients used to prepare it, if the ingredient remains in best eminence without any adulteration then only we can get the pure quality food. This study aimed to detect the quality and adulterants in commonly used food ingredients and spices from local markets of Kolhapur city of India, which are usually used to prepare local ethnic food. Some tests from (the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) are performed to check adulterants like insoluble impurities, chalk powder, washing soda, red lead salts, brick powder, and artificial colors in food ingredients. 5 sugar samples, 8 chili powder samples, 3 Jaggery samples, 6 turmeric powder samples, 6 common salt samples, 2 black pepper samples, 2 ghee or butter samples, 3 dal samples, 3 wheat flour samples, 2 honey samples, 2 cinnamon samples, and 3 coffee powder samples were analyzed. 2 chili, 1 black pepper, 1 cinnamon, 1 Jaggery 1 Honey, and 1 coffee powder samples are found with adulterants whereas most were without adulterants. Most of the local food ingredients are of good quality.

Fluorescent paper sensor based on green emissive carbon nanodots for visual detection of acid orange II in food samples

This work for the first time presents a visual fluorescence paper sensor for accurate and on-site detection of acid orange II (AO2) in food matrix, where green-emissive carbon nanodots (G-CDs) were exploited. The as-synthesized G-CDs had an average particle size of 3.9 ± 0.7 nm and displayed green emission at 511 nm upon excitation at 450 nm. When there existed AO2, the G-CDs fluorescence was effectively suppressed via inner filter effect (IFE) and dynamic interaction. The as-prepared G-CDs probe achieved a 0.01–25.0 μM linear scope and a 36.5 nM limit of detection. Particularly, owing to a distinguishable reduction in G-CDs emission intensity by a smartphone application, a visual probing platform along with a nanopaper-based device were be developed for recognizing AO2. The corresponding detection limits were severally 0.61 μM and 1.39 μM. Success was achieved in applying our fluorescence approaches for detecting AO2 in Yuba, chili powder, sunflower seeds, tomato paste and orange juice samples, attaining desirable results. The present work underlines the potential of smartphone-integrated nanopaper based on CDs as an encouraging candidate for on-site AO2 recognition in food matrix.

Long pepper (Piper longum) derived carbon dots as fluorescent sensing probe for sensitive detection of Sudan I.

In this piece of work, microwave-assisted conversion of a natural precursor in to high-valued nano-scale material was carried out by a completely greener method. The fluorescent carbon dots prepared, designated as long pepper derived carbon dots (LPCDs), have been thoroughly characterized to explore the physical and chemical properties. The system exhibits excitation dependent emission behavior and from the optimal studies the excitation and emission wavelength of the system was found to be 330 nm and 455 nm respectively. On account of the superior fluorescent behavior of the LPCDs, it was successfully employed as a fluorescent sensing probe to detect Sudan I with good level of selectivity and sensitivity. This carcinogenic dye extensively used as food adulterant can impart several health issues. Food product safety is of high concern, therefore a simple facile and economical analytical method was proposed based on the fluorescence of LPCDs for this dye detection with satisfactory statistical parameters. A linear relationship was maintained in the range of 0 to 27.27 μM Sudan I with limit of detection of 0.92 μM. The quenching mechanism was studied and finally attributed to Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) mechanism. In addition, the probe was effectively implemented for Sudan I detection in commercial chili powder samples with good level of recovery parameters.

Determination of Total Carotene and Vitamin C in Chili Powder (Capsicum annuum L.) Non-destructively Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

Chili (Capsicum annuum L.) is an important source of total carotene and vitamin C. Both substances are widely used in food processing materials, supporting a healthy immune system and medicine. However, destructive testing often obtains information about the substances, which damages the tested material and requires a relatively long analysis. Therefore, this research aims to develop calibration models of total carotene and vitamin C in chili powder for non-destructive testing using near-infrared spectroscopy. The samples consist of four groups of color, i.e., light green, dark green, red tinge, and red, with a total of 84 samples. Seventy percent of the sample was used for calibration, while the rest of the sample was used for validation. Spectra were measured using the NIRFlex N-500 instrument at a wavelength of 1000 nm to 2500 nm and analyzed with the partial least square (PLS) method using three spectral pre-treatments, which are multiplicative scatter correction (MSC), first derivative savitzky-golay, and de-trending. The accuracy and model reliability was determined by the coefficient of determination (R2) and the residual predictive deviation (RPD). The best calibration models were successfully obtained when the spectrum was processed using the first derivative savitzky-golay pre-treatment with 6 and 5 PLS factors for vitamin C and total carotene, respectively. Both models were accurate and can be potentially used for determining the total carotene and vitamin C in chili powder samples non-destructively.

Insights into the Bacterial Diversity and Detection of Opportunistic Pathogens in Mexican Chili Powder.

Chili powder is the most frequently consumed spice in Mexican diets. Thus, the dissemination of microorganisms associated with chili powder derived from Capsicum annuum L. is significant during microbial quality analysis, with special attention on detection of potential pathogens. The results presented here describe the initial characterization of bacterial community structure in commercial chili powder samples. Our results demonstrate that, within the domain Bacteria, the most abundant family was Bacillaceae, with a relative abundance of 99% in 71.4% of chili powder samples, while 28.6% of samples showed an average relative abundance of 60% for the Enterobacteriaceae family. Bacterial load for aerobic mesophilic bacteria (AMB) ranged from 104 to 106 cfu/g, while for sporulated mesophilic bacteria (SMB), the count ranged from 102 to 105 cfu/g. Bacillus cereus sensu lato (s.l.) was observed at ca. ˂600 cfu/g, while the count for Enterobacteriaceae ranged from 103 to 106 cfu/g, Escherichia coli and Salmonella were not detected. Fungal and yeast counts ranged from 102 to 105 cfu/g. Further analysis of the opportunistic pathogens isolated, such as B. cereus s.l. and Kosakonia cowanii, using antibiotic-resistance profiles and toxinogenic characteristics, revealed the presence of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) and Metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) in these organisms. These results extend our knowledge of bacterial diversity and the presence of opportunistic pathogens associated with Mexican chili powder and highlight the potential health risks posed by its use through the spread of antibiotic-resistance and the production of various toxins. Our findings may be useful in developing procedures for microbial control during chili powder production.

Non-destructive measurement of antioxidant activity and water content in chili powder (Capsicum annuum L.) using near-infrared spectroscopy

Chili (Capsicum annuum L.) is a potential source of antioxidants due to its high vitamin and lutein contents. The information on antioxidant activity and water content of chili are needed by the chili-based industries which utilise chili's natural antioxidant content for various purposes in health, food, or herbal products. These information are often obtained through destructive testing which damages the tested materials, and also requires a relatively long analysis time. Therefore, the present work aimed to non-destructively measure the antioxidant activity and water content of chili powder using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIS) combined with partial least square (PLS) analysis. A total of 84 samples of chili powder from four different colour groups were used in the present work. Approximately 70% of the samples were used for calibration, while the rest were used for validation. Samples' reflectance data were acquired using NIRFlex N500 Fiber Optic Solids Cells at wavelengths of 1000 - 2500 nm. The antioxidants activity and water content were also analysed destructively for comparison/reference data. PLS was then performed on the spectrum and reference using the Unscrambler X version 11.0 software. There were also three pre-treatments used to improve the spectrum, i.e., multiplicative scatter correction, first derivative Savitzky Golay, and de-trending. The best calibration model was successfully obtained when the antioxidant activity spectrum was processed using the de-trending pre-treatment with six PLS factors. The coefficient of determination (R2) and residual predictive deviation (RPD) values for this were 0.83 and 2.60, respectively. Additionally, the best calibration model was successfully obtained when the water content spectrum was processed using the first derivative Savitzky Golay pre-treatment with five PLS factors. The R2 and RPD values for this were 0.96 and 2.25, respectively. Both models were observed to be accurate, and have the potential to be used for measuring the antioxidant activity and water content of chili powder samples.

Bifunctional monomer oligomers-based composite molecularly imprinted membranes for the electrochemical monitoring of Sudan I.

Herein, we developed a highly sensitive electrochemical sensor for the trace detection of Sudan I (SDI) dye based on composite molecularly imprinted membranes (MIMs). The pentenyl (lipoic acyl)-isoleucyl-chitosan oligosaccharide (P(L)ICO) and pentenyl-asparaginyl-chitosan oligosaccharide (PASCO) served as bifunctional monomer oligomers. After deposition of gold nanoparticles on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface, a P(L)ICO layer successfully self-assembled on the surface. Subsequently, the primary MIM was polymerised on the electrode surface by using SDI as a template, PASCO as a functional monomer oligomer, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a cross-linking agent. Electrochemical polymerisation was then conducted in an N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide solution. After eluting the SDI molecules from the composite MIMs, the fabricated SDI-MIM(PM)/Fn-Au/GCE demonstrated specific adsorption of SDI. Under optimal conditions, the constructed sensor exhibited a linear relationship between decreasing peak current and SDI concentration from 0.02 to 3.5 μM with a low detection limit of 4 nM (S/N = 3). As a proof of concept, SDI-MIM(PM)/Fn-Au/GCE was also applied to detect SDI in chili powder samples, with recoveries ranging from 96.8 to 106.6%.

Detection of Bacillus cereus sensu lato Isolates Posing Potential Health Risks in Mexican Chili Powder.

The potential presence of spore-forming bacteria related to the Bacillus cereus group in Mexican chili powder elaborated from Capsicum annuum L. is of commercial and clinical interest, because chili powder is an essential spice in the Mexican diet and in diets around the globe. To facilitate detection and isolation of members of this group of spore-forming bacteria from Mexican chili powder samples, we identified colonies that grew on agar medium selective for Bacillus cereus sensu lato, supplemented with polymyxin B (10 µg/mL) and ampicillin (10 to 100 µg/mL). The presumptive B. cereus (s.l.) isolates were tested using a tRNACys-PCR-based approach and the results identified species related phylogenetically to B. cereus, B. thuringiensis, and B. toyonensis. Their toxigenic potential was assessed by serological tests to detect enterotoxins (Nhe and Hbl) and by PCR targeting the hemolysin BL (hbl) component C (hblC) and non-hemolytic enterotoxin component A (nheA). The antibiotic profiles of the isolates showed a high resistance to β-lactams (100% of the isolates), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (100%), tetracycline (90%), erythromycin (77%), clindamycin (74%), and chloramphenicol (42%). Our results indicate the presence of B. cereus s.l. with toxigenic characteristics in Mexican chili powder. Because of the potential for these organisms to cause disease through their production of various toxins, and resistance to antibiotics, we recommend that a microbiological risk assessment must be considered in the Mexican regulatory requirements.

Highly Selective and Sensitive Benzimidazole Based Bifunctional Sensor for Targeting Inedible Azo Dyes in Red Chilli, Red Food Color, Turmeric Powder, and Cu(Ii) in Coconut Water.

In this study, a simple Benzimidazole based bifunctional chemosensor 4-(2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-6-yl) benzene-1,2-diamine, L was synthesized and characterized. The sensor proved to be selective and sensitive towards detecting banned azo dyes Sudan Dye I, II, and Metanil Yellow via fluorescence turn-off response. The proposed mechanism of fluorescence quenching was the inner filter effect. LODs for Sudan I, II, and Metanil Yellow were found to be 0.009µM, 0.012µM, and 0.0073µM, respectively. The developed chemosensor also showed a colorimetric response towards Cu (II) ions via an apparent color change from yellow to pink. LOD for Cu (II) ions was found to be 1.2µM. The synthesized benzimidazole based bifunctional chemosensor was adequately tested to determine Sudan I in Red chili powder and red Food color samples, Metanil yellow in turmeric powder, and Cu(II) packaged coconut water.

Oral irritation in patients with chemosensory dysfunction

AbstractIntroductionEvidence accumulates to support the interaction among gustatory, olfactory and trigeminal sensations. While olfactory dysfunction is associated with impaired taste or intranasal trigeminal perception, less is known about the perception of oral irritative intensity among patients with olfactory or gustatory dysfunctions.Method148 patients with olfactory and/or gustatory dysfunctions received oral administration of chili powder samples with varied irritation levels, and rated the oral irritation intensity on an 11‐point scale. Gustatory sensitivity was assessed using the ‘Taste Strips’ test among a subset of the patients (N = 25). Other variables including the aetiology of disease and a frequency of spicy food consumption were also recorded for exploratory analyses.ResultsParticipants with anosmia rated oral irritations of chili powder significantly less than participants with normosmia. In the subsample, a positive correlation was observed between the individual scores of the ‘Taste Strips’ test and ratings of oral irritation intensity at the highest level of chili powder test. There were no effects of age, aetiology, subjective ratings of sensitivity to spicy food or frequency of spicy food consumption with respect to oral irritation intensity of chili powder samples.ConclusionThe current results showed reduced oral irritation intensity among patients with severe olfactory loss. Impaired oral irritative perception among these participants may be related to disturbed central nervous interactions between the various sensory systems involved in flavour perception.

Front-face synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy for rapid and non-destructive determination of free capsanthin, the predominant carotenoid in chili (Capsicum annuum L.) powders based on aggregation-induced emission

Capsanthin is the major natural carotenoid pigment in red chili pepper possessing important bioactivity. Its conventional determination method is high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with complex and tedious sample pretreatment. In this study, synchronous front-face fluorescence spectroscopy (FFFS) was applied for the fast and non-invasive detection of free capsanthin in chili powders. Although capsanthin was only weak fluorescent in solution state, it showed strong fluorescence in two separated regions in front-face geometry which could also be clearly observed in chili powders. The mechanisms of these emissions are revealed to be aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and J-aggregate formation (JAF). The free capsanthin in 85 chili powder samples were determined by HPLC as in the range of 0.6–3.0 mg/g. The total synchronous FFFS spectra of these samples were scanned. Simple first-order models were built by partial least square regression (PLSR), and were validated by 5-fold cross-validation and external validation. The coefficients of determination (R2) were higher than 0.9, and the root mean square errors (RMSE) were less than 0.2 mg/g. The relative error of prediction (REP) was 9.9%, and the residual predictive deviation (RPD) was 3.7. The method was applied for the estimation of free capsanthin in several real-world samples with satisfactory analytical results. The average relative error to HPLC reference values was −11.8%.

Determination of banned adulterants in turmeric and chilli powders using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography

Sudan I and metanil yellow are azo dyes, illegally used to impart bright red and yellow color to foods respectively. It is assumed that these appearances are due to adulteration. Regulations must be able to detect the substances in a cost-effective, efficient, and sensitive manner. A simple and precise ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detector based analytical method is developed for detection and quantification of metanil yellow and Sudan 1 from turmeric and chili powders. The method necessitated no sample clean up from matrix components and the separation of the analytes was performed on a reversed-phase C18 column with an optimized solvent system consisting of 0.6305 g of ammonium formate + 100 µL of formic acid in HPLC grade water-methanol: acetonitrile (70:30 V/V) for metanil yellow at 413 nm and 0.2% formic acid in water-acetonitrile (30:70, V/V) for curcumin at 425 nm. Depending on the metanil yellow and Sudan I dye involved, LOD and LOQ were in the range of 0.05–0.12 μg/Kg and 0.3–0.5 μg/Kg in the turmeric and red chili powders respectively. The recovery, repeatability and reproducibility varied from 80.6 to 112.60% from 0.3 to 0.83%, and less than 20% RSD. Linearity obtained for metanil yellow and Sudan I was all r2 > 0.9999 and in the range of 0.5–1.0 mg/L and 0.05–5 mg/L respectively. The proposed method was applied to determine the concentration of curcumin and metanil yellow in 11 market samples, 24 rhizome powder samples and Sudan1 from 9 chili powder samples. This method has the potential to be used for illegal Sudan dyes and metanil yellow in turmeric and red chili powders due to its reliable, rapid and excellent precision.

Simultaneous determination of sixteen illegal dyes in foodstuffs by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

A liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method using positiveelectrospray ionization source (ESI+), multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode has been developed and validated to simultaneously determine 16 illegaldyes in different food groups. The method was based on the extraction of analytes from samples using QuEChERS technique. After being cleaned up d-SPE tube with mixture of MgSO4, PSA and C18 sorbent, the extract was analyzed by LC-MS/MS. Each illegaldyewas characterized by a precursor ion and two product ions. The method allows the screening of the simultaneous presence of 16 illegal substances at the lowest concentration of 5&amp;micro;g/kg forrhodamin B, crystal violet, chrysoidine G, auramine O, sudan black B, pararosanilin and of 50&amp;micro;g/kg for remaining substances. The specificity of the methodmet 657/2002/EC requirements. The methodwas linear in the range from 1-1000&amp;micro;g/L and themethod detection limit was from 5-50 &amp;micro;g/kg, the recovery ranged from 73-104% and the relative standard deviations were lower than 16.4%. The method has been applied to analyze 30 samples of dried beef, dry chicken, chutney, chili powder and food coloring samples. Rhodamine B, sudan I and auramine O were detected in two chili powder and 04 food coloring samples.

Evaluation of the volatile fraction, pungency and extractable color of different Italian Capsicum annuum cultivars designed for food industry

The volatile fraction investigated by means of HS-SPME/GC–MS technique, the extractable color in terms of ASTA units, and the pungency measured on the Schoville scale of different experimental Capsicum annuum powders, designed for food industry, were evaluated in this study. In particular, six Capsicum annuum cultivars were included; fresh fruits were cultivated, harvested, dried and grinded to obtain different chilli powder samples that were analyzed and compared with an additional sample purchased from the market. Extractable color ranged between 36.9 ± 1.5 and 144.2 ± 0.8 ASTA units, while pungency was from 999 ± 42 to 47,814 ± 971 SHU units, showing an inverse trend between these two parameters. The volatile fraction of samples resulted to be composed of 64 volatiles belonging to different chemical classes among which terpenes and pyrazines were the most represented ones. The differences and similarities among the chilli pepper varieties were visualized by means of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) as by Heat Map analysis.