Thermal Degradation of Capsaicin and Dihydrocapsaicin during Cooking

The thermal stability of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin were investigated by conducting cooking tests where temperature and duration varied. These results were used to calculate the half-life of capsaicin at different temperatures and to obtain sufficient data to describe all the variables in the Arrhenius equation between 100°C and 210°C. In addition, the degradation of capsaicinoids appeared to followed first order kinetics. Degradation rates also increased at higher temperatures as expected. The unknown variables in the Arrhenius equation of frequency factor (A) and activation energy (Ea) were determined for both capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin. The frequency factor for capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin were 2.60×109and 1.25×109, respectively. The activation energy for capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin were 87.2 kJ/mol and 84.0 kJ/mol, respectively. Pepper samples cooked in water had longer half-lives than dry pepper powder, which suggests hydrolysis was not a significant degradation mechanism. These results estimated that less than 30% capsaicinoid degradation occurred in nine typical cooking scenarios.