Determination of Capsaicin Content and Pungency Level of Five Different Peppers Grown in Nigeria.

The determination of capsaicin content in five different peppers grown in Nigeria without the need for a derivatization step is here presented. Extraction of capsaicin was done using methanol as solvent and capillary Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry used for quantitation. "Nsukka" Yellow pepper (Capsicum chinense) had the highest concentration of capsaicin (9.177 ± 0.268mg/g) and pungency level (146,823.20 SHU), whereas, "Zaria tatashe" (Capsicum annuum) had the lowest concentration (1.189 ± 0.073mg/g) and pungency level (19,015.20 SHU). All the peppers analyzed in this study can be classified as very highly pungent as the Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) values exceed 80,000, except the tatase, Zaria (Capsicum annuum) which has a mean SHU value of 19,015.20. (New York Science Journal 2010;3(9):17-21). (ISSN: 1554-0200).