capsaicin

[allXbutXgone]

is this oil always present even in immature pods or does this start to increase as ripening proceeds?

[QuadShotz]

Pretty sure it's the latter of the two.

[allXbutXgone]

i mean i figure it would increase dramatically as ripening continued but is it not present at all and if not how far along does it kick in

[AlabamaJack]

capsaicin is produced in the placenta of the pepper (that white stuff that the seeds are attached to)...it is there in increasing amounts until the pepper ripens....I have read a study that said, the most capsaicin in the pepper is when the pepper first starts turning the ripe color...when the pepper is cut/sliced/mashed/chewed etc...the placenta is ruptured setting free the capsaicin all over the seeds and the inside flesh of the pepper....that is why cutting out the placenta (coring the pepper) reduces the heat of them...because you are removing the capsaicin producing mechanism of the pod

[allXbutXgone]

thank you very much

[AlabamaJack]

you are welcome...

[kilobit]

This is a pic I took from a book I have:
The hot book of Chillies
Written by David Floyd.

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk252/kilobit/anatomy.jpg

It shows there are seperate Capsaicin glands in the top of the membrane.
As I interpret it the capsaicin is produced there, and seeps through along the placenta and the endocarp.

[PrairieChilihead]

I have read a study that said, the most capsaicin in the pepper is when the pepper first starts turning the ripe color.

Hi AlabamaJack!

Does this mean that as the pepper ripens the capsaicin subsides? I thought it kept getting hotter as it ripened. I have been leaving my pods on the plants until the last possible moment to ensure that it was as hot as it could possibly be.


The more we learn about the science of heat production, the more enjoyable this whole process becomes! Who knew that learning could be fun? :)

[QuadShotz]

All I know is my funky habs had globs of cap stuff ON the side walls...and were stuffed full of plancenta. Worst..eating..ever.

I'd eat any naga before doing that again. That actually hurt.

I could feel the cap bits hit as grenades of pain as I chewed it..friggin unreeal. I was't making faces just for show..that rly hurt ad tried to take my breath away. It was rly hard to breathe while chewing that damn thing.

Mebbe a scorp would be similar, idk..but was not fun.

To my knowledge, nobody esle has ever eaten a Burkina Hab on YT..now I know why.

RB, I know ya have 'em..where's yer vid? I dare ya to eat just 1/2 of one liek I did. ;P

[AlabamaJack]

the article I read didn't actually say the capsaicin content diminished but it hinted at it...I mean if the most capsaicin is present when the pods first start to ripen.....what else is someone supposed to think...

[peter pepper]

Hi AlabamaJack!

Does this mean that as the pepper ripens the capsaicin subsides? I thought it kept getting hotter as it ripened. I have been leaving my pods on the plants until the last possible moment to ensure that it was as hot as it could possibly be.


The more we learn about the science of heat production, the more enjoyable this whole process becomes! Who knew that learning could be fun? :)

I would say just test it. Pick one early on and them pick one as late as you can. See if there is a noticeable difference in heat? But then again 2 peppers from the same plant, picked at the same time can have 2 different heat levels....so I don't know. One would have to test with several peppers and actually measure the Scoville units of the pepper. Is there a home kit for measuring Scoville?

[rainbowberry]

RB, I know ya have 'em..where's yer vid? I dare ya to eat just 1/2 of one liek I did. ;P


I chopped up 3 in a cheese spread sandwich, they are full of juice and I swear they're the ones that did my hands in. I know Quad, you just want me on video really, funky Habs or not ;)

[QuadShotz]

Yes maam. I always like pretty gals on video....Habs would be a plus though. ;)
Ove put em in everything, but eatign raw is mesed up.

[NatGreenMeds]

Does this mean that as the pepper ripens the capsaicin subsides? I thought it kept getting hotter as it ripened. I have been leaving my pods on the plants until the last possible moment to ensure that it was as hot as it could possibly be.On page 76 of “Capsicum…The genus Capsicum”, the below information is shown:

Individual capsaicinoid contribution to total capsaicinoids in relation to the age of flowering in the pericarp and placenta of Capsicum fruits is given in Figure 4.2.

Several studies have concluded that levels of capsaicinoids increase with maturation (Hall et al., 1987), remain constant (Sukrasno and Yeoman, 1993) or decrease slightly up to 60% after the maximum is reached.

Figure 4.2 shows that the maximum in Capsicum annuum was reached at 45 days of fruit age.

The peak starts at about 35 days and then increases to it’s max at 45 days. Just 5 days later, it had dropped by a huge amount, so harvesting at 45 days seems to be the maximum heat level for this species.

[AlabamaJack]

Hey Nat...that book doesn't have a content breakdown of the different capsaicinoids for different peppers does it?....

[NatGreenMeds]

Hey Nat...that book doesn't have a content breakdown of the different capsaicinoids for different peppers does it?....Just for a very few, AJ. It seems to center on peppers used for the Paprika industry more than any others. That's where most of the money is made in India.

The bar chart below and the figures in the other chart seem to disagree if you look at the 50 day mark of both. The numerical chart specifies that it's a measure of capsaicinoids present in DRY tissue, whereas the bar graph doesn't. Elsewhere in the book, it mentions that all of the dried peppers are a result of natural drying in open air over a period of days. The only conclusion I can draw from the differences is that the bar chart is from just harvested peppers and that during the drying process, if drying is complete at 50 days, the pepper has lost a LOT of it's capsaicinoids during the drying days. I haven't read the entire book yet, but if my hypothesis is correct, and if drying is a factor, it seems that picking them at 40 days and doing no more than a 5 day drying cycle would maximize the capsaicinoid amounts.

I'll have to study this, and other information more before confirming that hypothesis.

Pardon the quality of the charts. It's the best I could get my hands on as a PDF.

http://img363.imageshack.us/img363/203/capsicumduringfloweringqv8.jpg

[PrairieChilihead]

On page 76 of “Capsicum…The genus Capsicum”, the below information is shown:

Individual capsaicinoid contribution to total capsaicinoids in relation to the age of flowering in the pericarp and placenta of Capsicum fruits is given in Figure 4.2.

Several studies have concluded that levels of capsaicinoids increase with maturation (Hall et al., 1987), remain constant (Sukrasno and Yeoman, 1993) or decrease slightly up to 60% after the maximum is reached.

Figure 4.2 shows that the maximum in Capsicum annuum was reached at 45 days of fruit age.

The peak starts at about 35 days and then increases to it’s max at 45 days. Just 5 days later, it had dropped by a huge amount, so harvesting at 45 days seems to be the maximum heat level for this species.


This is distressing. It turns what I thought I understood about the heat production in the pods right on it's head!! When would you start counting down? From the day the tiny pod first shakes free of the dry bloom? From the day the pod reaches it's 'adult' size? Or...would you just forget about that and start picking the peppers as soon as a bit of colour is visible? Like I said, I've always waited until the pepper was as dark as it could possibly be (in whatever colour was the normal end-game)- believing that it continued getting hotter and hotter!

Am I the only person who thought that?:oops:

[AlabamaJack]

when I first started growing peppers, I was interested in making a chili powder that gave you a complete burn from the lips to the back of the throat including the total mouth/palate...that is when I learned that different capsaicinoids affected different nerve receptors in the mouth....soooooo...what I really wanted to do when I first started growing peppers was grow the peppers that had different capsaicinoid contents and mix those peppers to create the "perfect burn"....

I have not been able to find a listing anywhere that says pepper by pepper what percent the different capsaicinoids are present other than a few varieties...

[AlabamaJack]

you have to remember that each variety has a different maturity length and this would only be applicable to those varieties tested by this research...

[NatGreenMeds]

you have to remember that each variety has a different maturity length and this would only be applicable to those varieties tested by this research...That's a fact, AJ. Thanks. It seems that if a pepper is picked and used when just ripe, it's at it's hottest. As it matures on the plant AFTER being fully ripe, it seems that is when the heat starts dropping.

Does this sound right to you?

[PrairieChilihead]

That's a fact, AJ. Thanks. It seems that if a pepper is picked and used when just ripe, it's at it's hottest. As it matures on the plant AFTER being fully ripe, it seems that is when the heat starts dropping.

Does this sound right to you?

Sorry for barging in, but this begs a question....At what point would you consider a pepper to be "just ripe" ...? Is it when the colour first begins or when the pepper is fully coloured...or some other moment?

Thanks!

[AlabamaJack]

that does beg a question...what is the definition of ripe?... :lol: ...is it when the pepper first starts to turn or is it when the complete pod is uniform in color ?

and you are not barging in...

[millworkman]

Or is it when it is fully mature in size, regardless of color?

[AlabamaJack]

good point...maybe that research I read meant the peppers are full size when they first start turning color and that is considered ripe...

[PrairieChilihead]

And what about Jalapenos? Are they ripe when green? They take a l-----o-----n-----g time to start turning red.

[rainbowberry]

I wouldn't say Jalapenos are ripe when green, they are ripe when red, although a lot of people eat them green. I eat mine red.

[NatGreenMeds]

The peppers talked about in this book are all used for Paprika. It refers to "a full rich red color when ripe". The peppers are harvested and stacked in the field for a few days "to finish ripening to a uniform dark red".

So it seems that the peppers referred to in the book are ripe when fully red.

I have no idea if that holds true across all the species of peppers. If I run into that information, I'll be sure to post it.

[kilobit]

you suck pepperballs

[pepperfever]

WHAT??????????

[teh purple penguins]

i would say that a pepper is ripe when the seeds are viable and not green( most of my unripe pods had no seeds or they were green) that being said, i haven't had many peppers ripe till a dark green before red showed up on Jals, and Pablanos. nor ripe cayennes till final color, or any chinense type including, my weird hybrid, and jamaican scotch bonnets. i would say that a chile is ripe and almost to the final heat level when you pick it green and the whole thing is able to change to the final color. and it is starting to be less hot when it is picked it's full color.

atleast that has been my experience with my wierd hybrid, i tasted it about 7 different periods along the growing cycle just because i was so damned curious lol.

in my mind i like to pick the peppers when they are 80% Full Colored or up.because it will take me a day or 2 to use them most likely and by them they will be fully yellow or red or whatever.