Analysis of the Contents of Pungent Compounds in Fresh Korean Red Peppers and in Pepper-Containing Foods

An HPLC method has been developed for the analysis of extracts of fresh peppers containing capsaicinoids and of both capsaicinoids and piperines in pepper-containing foods produced and sold in Korea. The HPLC method was optimized by defining how composition of the mobile phase affected retention times. Both identification and quantification were based on retention times and the following criteria: linearity of the UV response at 280 nm in HPLC, recoveries from spiked samples, and observed individual molecular ions in the mass spectra of the extracts determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. This method, with a limit of detection of approximately 15-30 ng, was used to quantify the distribution of capsaicinoids in 11 Korean whole peppers and in 12 commercial pepper-containing foods. Total capsaicinoid levels of whole peppers ranged from 1.21 microg/g for the PR Gang ja variety to 121.1 microg/g for the Chung yang variety. The levels in food extracts, four of which also included two piperines, ranged from 11.0 microg/g for radish kimuchi to 3752 microg/g for capsaicin sauce. The results demonstrate (a) the usefulness of the HPLC method for the simultaneous analysis of capsaicinoids derived from red peppers and piperines derived from black and white peppers extracted from complex food matrices and (b) the wide-ranging spread of levels of pungent pepper compounds in fresh peppers and in pepper-containing foods consumed in Korea.