Preparation of Capsaicin by Condensation and Crystallization

capsicum oleoresin was used as the raw material to explore the effect of condensation, saponification and crystallization on the purity and extraction rate of capsaicinoids. The optimal extraction processing conditions of capsaicin were investigated by single-factor and orthogonal experiments. Results indicated that four factors for affecting condensation efficiency according to the order from strong to weak were methanol concentration, extraction temperature, material-liquid ratio and extraction time. Similarly, four factors for affecting extraction rate of capsaicin according to the order from strong to weak were saponification time, pH, crystallization temperature and sodium hydroxide concentration during crystallization process. Therefore, the optimal processing parameters were 80% methanol using for the extract condensation, 10% sodium hydroxide using for saponification for 4 h at 50 ℃, pH adjustment to 7.0 using hydrochloric acid at 5 ℃, and then settle down and crystallization. The yield of capsaicin was up to 86.67% under the optimal processing conditions. The purity of capsaicin was 97.87% determined by HPLC.