Pepper Oleoresin

Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is appreciated as a food additive and pigment for its physiological and pharmaceutical uses as it contains a high level of antioxidants. Economically, in Mexican culture, it is known as chile piquin (C. annuum var glabriusculum) which plays a very significant role as a staple food since prehistoric times. The production of chilli fruits in Mexico is one of the largest in the world, with the country growing 2.2 million tons of them each year from a surface area of 149,000 ha at a participation rate of 12,000 producers each year. There are various techniques for the extraction of oleoresins such as Soxhlet, microwave reflux extraction and supercritical CO2. It contains capsaicin followed by 6,7 dihydrocapsaicin, nordihydrocapsaicin, homodihydrocapsaicin, homocapsaicin, pseudocapsaicine, capsanthin and capsorubin. Pepper is used as an antimicrobial agent in the treatment of cardiac disease, dental care, gastric disturbance and cancer. This chapter will discuss the extraction process involved in pepper and its health benefits.