Capsaicin from chili peppers and its analogues and their valued applications: An updated literature review

Chili peppers are widely sought after by consumers for not only their color, flavor, and nutritional properties but also their main component (capsaicin) various biological activities in diverse fields. Capsaicin (trans-8-methyl- N -vanillyl-6-nonenamide), the compound primarily responsible for the spicy flavor of peppers, remains a hot topic in the scientific community and shows the vast potential in various applications. Although many reviews focus comprehensively on capsaicin , most articles are limited to the medical field of capsaicin. This review provides an overview briefly of the capsaicin and its analogues in the fields of food, medicine and with a particular emphasis on their applications in agriculture and livestock farming. Overall, we aims is to expand the broad spectrum of applications for capsaicin and its analogues and explore their potential biological mechanisms. Finally, the challenges of capsaicin and future development prospects were discussed and proposed. • This paper systematically reviews the applications of capsaicin in food including food additives, preservation, and packaging materials. • The diversiform applications of capsaicin in the fields of medicine, agriculture, and military are summarized. • The capsaicin and its underlying mechanisms of action in response on their broad spectrum of applications are summarized. • This paper emphasizes the unprecedented potential of capsaicin analogues in the fields of medicine and agriculture.