5,5'-DICAPSAICIN, 4'-O-5-DICAPSAICIN ETHER, AND DEHYDROGENATION POLYMERS WITH HIGH-MOLECULAR WEIGHTS ARE THE MAIN PRODUCTS OF THE OXIDATIONOF CAPSAICIN BY PEROXIDASE FROM HOT PEPPER

The nature of the products of capsaicin oxidation by hot pepper peroxi dase was studied by gel permeation chromatography. Three main types of oxidation products were identified. Peak 1, with an average molecular weight of 603 +/- 12 and corresponding to dimers of capsaicin, was re solved by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry into the dimers 5,5'-di capsaicin (1a) and 4'-O-5-dicapsaicin ether (1b). Peak 2 appears to be a polymeric product with a molecular weight of 4500 and probably corr esponds to polymeric products with a mean degree of 15. Capsaicin-prot ein copolymers (peak 3) also appear to be products of capsaicin oxidat ion, probably arising from protein and capsaicin copolymerization. The se results suggest that Capsicum peroxidase oxidizes capsaicin to yiel d 5,5'-dicapsaicin and 4'-O-5-dicapsaicin ether, together a mixture of highly polymerized dehydrogenation products, all of them therefore of a lignin-like nature.