Chilli peppers

It was apparent from the compilation of pesticide-commodity combinations of trade violations that national or Codex MRLs of these pesticides for many commodities, both minor and major, are not available (Table 1). Commodities of particular interest to developing countries where national or Codex MRLs are lacking include mango, papaya, banana, peppers, chillies, paprika, Chana dall (chickpea) and sesame seed. 

Pepper, Pasilla 2 N OK Latin Amer. 0.2 mg/kg peppers, chilli... 

OAB, MD, Japan Capsici acris fructus Cayenne pepper, Chillies Capsicum frutescens L. Soianaceae... 

Recently, another Capsicum saponin, CAY-1, a gitogenin-based branched pen-taoside [glu-(1 3 )-glu-(l -3, )]-glu-(1 2, )-glu-(l )-gal-(1 3P) has been isolated from commercially available dry fruits of C. frutescens L., Cayenne pepper/chilli (De Lucca et al. 2002 Renault et al. 2003). 

Capsicum annuum L., red/bell pepper, chilli, paprika Solanidine Solanine (1) (2)... 

Green chilli pepper is one of the few vegetables to contain both flavonols (quercetin, 11.39 mg/100 g) and flavones (luteolin, 2.7 mg/100 g) at detectable levels. Celery and sweet ball peppers are the main food sources of flavones independent of flavonols. 

Many human populations have only encountered some mixtures of NPs relatively recently— the first Europeans to encounter chilli peppers, many beans, pineapples, bananas, tobacco and so forth did so only a few hundred years ago. The solanine alkaloids (and other NPs) in potato or tomato were unknown to Asians, Africans and Europeans until very recently, yet these populations seemed untroubled by these novel chemicals. Tomato fruits were initially considered to be poisonous when introduced to Europe and it was only in the nineteenth century that they became widely adopted as a food plant. 

Hot peppers and painful heat both activate sensory nerve fibers through an ion channel, known as vanilloid receptor subtype 1 (VR1). When activated, the channel opens, allowing an influx of calcium and sodium ions. The influx depolarizes neuronal pain fibers, initiating a nerve impulse through the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) to the brain. Noxious heat also activates VR1, explaining why our mouths feel hot when we eat chilli peppers. 

Synthesis The synthesis of capsaicin is shown below (Gannett et al., 1988). For clinical use capsaicin is isolated from chilli pepper (Capsicum annum). 

Early research with irradiated paprika (Beczner et al, 1973), white pepper, nutmeg and ginger (Tjaberg etal., 1972) concluded that the technique was not suitable for the detection of these spices since the free radicals formed were short lived and could not be distinguished from intrinsic free radicals already present in the non-irradiated samples. More recently, a radiation-induced stable EPR signal has been observed for up to three months in paprika, white mustard and chilli (Stachowicz et al1992). 

Synonym African Pepper, Bird Pepper, Guinea Pepper and Chillies. 

Pepper spray is not, as is often thought, CS, but is based on a substance capsaicin that is found in chilli peppers. 

Chilli peppers are the fruit of the Capsicumfrutescens, a plant that is native to Bolivia, where it was cultivated for more than 7,000 years before being transported to Europe - where at first it was not well received - and thence to India where it was much better appreciated. Chilli peppers are not just a spice but they are also a good source of vitamins A, C, and E. They are rich in folic acid and potassium, and low in food calories and sodium. Nevertheless, these benefits are minor compared to the major reason for adding chilli powder to our dishes, the aim being to make the food spicy hot. 

Beyond its role as a painkiller, capsaicin has other benefits. It speeds up metabolism and lowers cholesterol levels, whilst it has antibacterial properties that may protect against peptic ulcers by killing the bacterium Helicobacter pylori which causes them. Chilli pepper s popularity in hot countries may in part be due to its ability to destroy bacteria of the kind that can cause food to go bad and this seems to be borne out by the fact that the countries with the spiciest cuisines are the hottest ones, namely Thailand, the Philippines, India and Malaysia, while those which use the least are the coldest, namely Norway, Sweden and Finland. 

It is estimated that world production of chillies is about 2.5 million t and paprika accounts for one-third of the total world consumption of chilli (red pepper). India tops the list, with about one million t from 8.28 million ha. India has emerged as the major producer and supplier of chillies in the international market (Thampi, 2003). Production details of chilli from different countries are listed in Table 14.1. 

Water is the main constituent in peppers. In chilli, the amount of water is dependent on the age and type of pod harvested. Spice varieties allowed to dry on the plant may contain 70% water. Chilli fruits contain sugar, pentosans and raw fibre. Glucose accounts for 90-98% of the sugar content of red mature paprika pod. The amount of sugar in a pod varies by cultivar, agroclimatic conditions and type. Total and reducing sugars are at maximum levels in red succulent fruits. 

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