Recovery of capsaicin from Capsicum frutescens by applying aqueous two-phase systems based on acetonitrile and cholinium-based ionic liquids

Peppers are the principal source of natural capsaicinoids, a class of bioactive compounds with different therapeutic properties (anticancer, antioxidant, anti-obesity) which make it interesting to the development of extraction and purification processes. This work aims at developing an integrated process of extraction and purification to recover capsaicin from pepper Capsicum frutescens. Thus, ATPS consisting of acetonitrile and some cholinium-based ionic liquids were investigated, characterized and the partition of capsaicin on these systems properly optimized. The main results showed that capsaicin is preferentially migrating for the acetonitrile (top) phase. With a simple technology, mild conditions and less solvents, the success of the capsaicin purification from the pepper biomass was achieved (KCPS = 60.95 ± 1.29; EECPS = 90.57 ± 0.48%, and PFCPS = 3.26 ± 0.08) using ATPS. Summing up, this work allowed the development of an integrated process of extraction and purification of capsaicin from the chili pepper biomass.