Capsicum spices

Hartman, H. T., 1970, A rapid gas-liquid chromatographic determination for capsaicin in capsicum spices, / Food Sci. 35 543-547. 

Morrison, J. I., 1967, Gas chromatographic method for measuring pungenty in capsicum spices, Chem. Ind. (London) 42 1785-1786. 

Moster, J. B., and ITater, A. N. 1952. Color of capsicum spices. I. Measurement of extractable color. Food Technol. 6, 459. 

The American Spice Trade Association (ASTA) (4) accepts spice as any dried plant product used primarily for seasoning purposes. This broad definition was designed so that items labeled only as spice could give adequate protection to proprietary formulas for spice mixtures. However, ASTA recommends that the dehydrated vegetables and the color spices be listed separately by name on all labels. ASTA also has recommended that the capsicums, no matter the species, be delisted as spices and labeled separately. 

In 1991, vanilla beans were the highest valued spice import, with shipments totaling 69.0 million, followed by black and white pepper at 60.6 million, capsicum peppers and paprika at 42.6 million, sesame seed at 40.6 million, and cassia and cinnamon at 27.8 million. The most expensive spices, on a unit value basis, include saffron, 1116/kg average New York spot vanilla beans, 80.50/kg for Bourbon beans from Madagascar, Comoros, and Reunion, and 22.05/kg for Java beans and cardamom, 38.54/kg for grade AA bleached Indian and 3.88/kg for Guatemalan mixed greens. 

United States exports of spices in 1992 totaled 87.7 million up from 85.2 million in 1991 (Table 4). Dehydrated onion was the most important export spice product at 36.1 million followed by dehydrated gadic, 7.5 million capsicum peppers, 8.9 million black and white pepper, 5.8 million and prepared mustard products, 4.8 million. Canada, Japan, and Germany are the principal markets for United States spice exports. The production in the United States of temperate 2one spices is increa sing every year some of this output is exported as raw spice. 

Information regarding U.S. production of oleoresins is not available. It is estimated that there is a decline in domestic production of oleoresins of those spices imported in large volume, such as black pepper, capsicums of all types, and turmeric, since these oleoresins are more frequendy produced in the growing areas. However, the manufacture of specialty oleoresins produced from selected imports will continue, and oleoresin production from domestically grown spices is expected to increase (7,8). 

Paprika is a very old colorant and spice. It is a deep red, pungent powder prepared from the dried pods of the sweet pepper, Capsicum annum. 

Some of its inhabitants were even given the generic name of Indians Although this Spanish quest for spice led to the discovery of a very valuable source of gold and silver, and subsequently led to European colonisation of the newly discovered continent, it failed in its primary objective. But, as oudined below, centuries later some other important exploitable NPs (found in coca, quinine, capsicum, vanilla, tobacco and chocolate) were to come from this continent. 

Capsicum - [COLORANTS FORFOOD, DRUGS, COSMETICS AND MEDICALDEVICES] (Vol 6) - [FLAVORS AND SPICES -SPICES] (Vol 11)... 

Several spices possess antioxidative properties — a turmeric extract (curcuminoid), a hexane extract of rosemary, and the a-tocopherol-supplemented capsicum pigment exhibit their antioxidative effects in vivo by dietary supplementation. Turmeric extract has demonstrated the ability to reduce liver triacylglycerol deposition as well as cholesterol. 

Asai et al. (1999) determined that phospholipid hydroperoxides (PLOOH) are key products for oxidative injury in membranous phospholipid layers in the plasma, red blood cells (RBC), and liver of mice. The formation and accumulation of PLOOH have been confirmed in several cellular disorders, various diseases, and in aging. A lower PLOOH level was found in RBC of the spice-extract-fed mice (65 to 74% of the nonsupplemented control mice). The liver lipid peroxidizability induced with Fe2+/ascorbic acid was effectively suppressed in mice by dietary supplementation with the turmeric and capsicum extracts. Although no difference in the plasma lipids was observed, the liver triacylglycerol concentration of the turmeric-extract-fed mice was markedly reduced to half of the level in the control mice. These findings suggest that these spice extracts could act antioxidatively in vivo by food supplementation, and that the turmeric extract has the ability to prevent the deposition of triacylglycerols in the liver. 

Capsicum, also known as chili or paprika, is the fruit of various Capsicum species. It is widely used as a spice and, traditionally, it has been used internally for colic, flatulent dyspepsia, chronic laryngitis, insufficiency of peripheral circulation, and externally for neuralgia. Capsaicin (the active pungent ingredient) has been used extensively as a probe to elucidate the function of sensory neurons in various organs and systems (including the stomach), because of its ability to excite and later defunctionalize a subset of primary afferent neurons. 

Capsaicin (cap-say -i-sin). Also called capsicum, capsaicin is the main ingredient found in many hot peppers (Figure 6.2) and spices such as paprika and cayenne pepper. Capsaicin is also the active ingredient in self-defense products such as pepper spray. Capsaicin directly activates nociceptors located on nerve fibers, and thus it would seem to be counterproductive (if not crazy) to apply such a substance on a wound to relieve pain. However, it turns out that capsaicin creams, gels, and lotions are indeed effective pain relievers and counterirritants when applied topically to the skin. 

The American Spice Trade Association (ASTA) (12). adopted, in 196B, an official method (21.0) for pungency evaluation for capsicum, which appears to be an adaptation of procedures then in use by some flavour houses. These methods were probably developed as a routine quality control procedure, on samples obtained usually... 

The most important of the spices known for pungency are the chillies, the larger and less pungent variety, Capsicum annum L., the smaller, pungent variety Capsicum frutescens L. and the bird chilli a Capsicum frutescens variety. Apart from color, which is important in the case of paprika, a large variety, pungency is the most important quality attribute of the capsicums used in foods. 

Higher market prices for major commodities such as paprika, vanilla, ginger, bay leaves and spice mixtures resulted in an upward value trend by 4.6% from 2003 to 2004, with a stabilized import volume. There was a growing trend towards the trade of processed spices, which fetched higher prices. The increasing demand for value-added processing of spices, such as capsicum and ginger, offers business opportunities for the food and extraction industries in international markets (International Trade Centre, 2006). 

It is estimated that the world production of chillies is about 2.5 million t and paprika accounts for about one-third of the total world consumption of chilli. Capsicum fruits in different forms are popular food additives in most part of the world. Paprika and chilli are consumed worldwide, either as a spice or a natural colourant. It is valued principally... 

Daood, H.G, Tomoskozi-Farkas, R. and Kapitany, J. (2006) Antioxidant content of bio and conventional spice red pepper (Capsicum annuum L) as determined by HPLC. Acta Agronomica Hungarica 54(2), 133-140. 

Many varieties of red pepper, derived from plants of the genus Capsicum, are used in different cuisines around the world for their sensory properties of oral chemical "heat", volatile flavor and color. Determination of the degree of heat in a pepper sample has been a difficult problem for both sensory and instrumental analysts of flavor. Furthermore, the literature concerning the sensory physiology and perceptual responses of the "common chemical sense" (as defined later) has lagged behind other areas of study of the chemical senses. The purpose of this paper will be to review recent developments in two areas, the development of a standard method for sensory analysis of ground red pepper heat and the psychophysical characterization of observers responses to oral chemical Irritation induced by spice-derived compounds. 

In Chapter 18, Ebadi discusses the antioxidative properties of the spices capsicum, rosemary, and turmeric, along with the well-known antioxidants that are the tocopherols (vitamin E), P-carotene, and ascorbic add (vitamin C), with the observation that anticancer properties exist. 

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