Spectrophotometric Determination of Capsaicin

Abstract

A rapid method has been developed for determining the pungency of hot paprika. Paprika is extracted with ethyl acetate, and an ethyl acetate solution of vanadium oxytrichloride is added just before reading at 720 nm. The method is sensitive for small quantities, i.e., less than 0.05%, and it is not necessary to isolate and purify the capsaicin.