More novel uses of capsaicin have been its utilization as a herpes treatment, a tear gas or rodent repellent, and a deterrent to dog fights and swine cannibalism. In humans, the limit for taste is approximately 10 ppm which is 70 times lower than that for piperine, the active spice in black pepper, and 1000 times lower than for zingerone, the active ingredient in ginger. In 1992, 165.5 million pounds of red chili peppers were purchased for or processed into food products in the United States.
Capsaicin targets pain receptors in the mouth.
Apparently capsaicin causes a desensitization of the nerve fibers containing the pain and heat receptors upon repeated ingestion. The structure of capsaicin is shown below. The purpose of this lab is to acquaint you with the active ingredient of hot peppers, and the extraction, clean-up, and analysis of capsaicin as a fun analytical exercise. The extraction solvent to be used is acetonitrile. Vacuum filtration flasks with Buchner funnels are to be used to remove insoluble plant parts.