Effect of Extraction Solvent on Capsaicin Content of Chinda Peppers

Chinda pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is classified as a large chili pepper that is an important economic crop of Thailand. The substance in the chili pepper responsible for its spicy taste is capsaicin. Presently, capsaicin in Chinda peppers has been extracted for use in food and medical products. This research compared the capsaicin content from dried Chinda peppers in four different solvents: H2O, acetone, ethanol (95% v/v), and a binary solvent of acetone and water at a ratio of 1:1 v/v. For all treatments, the ratio of chili peppers to the solvent was 20 g:240 ml. After analyzing the amount of capsaicin content by a NanoDrop spectrophotometer, it was found that the capsaicin content from dried Chinda pepper by the H2O:acetone (1:1 v/v), acetone, H2O and ethanol (95% v/v) were 0.48 ppm, 0.26 ppm, 0.22 ppm, and 0.18 ppm, respectively. These results indicated that the extraction of capsaicin with a binary solvent of H2O:acetone at a ratio of 1:1 v/v had the highest extraction concentration. This can be explained theoretically that the presence of H2O in acetone impacted the hydrophobic properties of the solvent and the interaction between capsaicin compound and the solvent.