Assessment of Capsiconinoid Composition, Nonpungent Capsaicinoid Analogues, in Capsicum Cultivars

Capsiconinoid is a group of nonpungent capsaicinoid analogues produced in Capsicum fruits, which we recently identified. Capsiconinoids have agonist activity for transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1), which is reported to be a receptor for capsaicin. It is, therefore, important to screen cultivars containing high levels of capsiconinoid for their use as a vegetable or dietary supplement. This study describes the quantitative analysis of capsiconinoid content in fruits of 35 Capsicum cultivars: 18 cultivars of C. annuum, 7 of C. baccatum, 5 of C. chinense, 4 of C. frutescens, and 1 of C. pubescens. Using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), we found that 10 cultivars contained capsiconinoids. Capsiconinoid Baccatum (CCB)(C. baccatum var. praetermissum)showed the highest capsiconinoid content (3314 ìg/g DW)and Charapita (C. chinense)had the second highest content. The other 8 cultivars had much lower capsiconinoid content than these two cultivars (<300 ìg/g DW). Time-course analysis during fruit development clarified that capsiconinoid content in CCB fruits increased until 30 days after flowering (DAF)and then decreased rapidly until 40 DAF.