Estimation of Pungency of Green Chillies using UV Spectrophotometer

Abstract: The major focus of this study is to estimate pungency and compare capsaicin of three varieties of green chillies bought from local market Bengaluru (India). Pungency in chilli fruit is caused by chemicals grouped under capsaicinoids. The quantity of capsaicinoids which determines the pungency of the pepper is measured in Scoville Heat Units (SHU) using organoleptic test. But organoleptic test is not accurate and palate dependent. At present the most dominant technique used to measure capsaicin accurately in chillies is (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) HPLC. But HPLC measurement is expensive, time consuming and experts are required to handle the instrument. HPLC need to be installed in a sophisticated laboratory for it use. So, a new method for measuring pungency of chillies or capsaicin in chilli is needed. UV (Ultraviolet) spectrometry has been proposed in this paper to estimate pungency of green chillies. It has been shown that capsaicin content in green chillies is proportional to SHU, so green chillies can be graded for their hotness in SHU. Measurement on three varieties of chillies has been presented.

Keywords: Chilli, Pungency, Capsaicin, SHU, Ultraviolet.