Effect of enzyme pretreatment on yield and quality of fresh green chilli (Capsicum annuum L) oleoresin and its major capsaicinoids

The effect of enzyme pretreatment on extraction yield and quality of oleoresin from fresh green chilli (Capsicum annuum L) samples and its major capsaicinoids were evaluated using various enzymes viz., Celluclast 1.5L, Pectinex Ultra SP.L, ViscozymeL, Protease and an equal combination of Celluclast 1.5L, Pectinex Ultra SP.L and ViscozymeL. Optimization of the enzyme activity was carried out by varying the enzyme concentration, reaction temperature, pH, and incubation time. The quality of the oleoresin was further evaluated using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) coupled with Photo Diode Array (PDA) detector. Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM) studies were conducted to visualize the effect of these enzymes on green chilli cell walls. It was observed that the capsaicinoids recovery was higher in ViscozymeL pretreated green chilli (22%) followed by chilli pretreated with enzymes Celluclast (20%) Pectinex (17.5%) and Protease (14%) with respect to the control sample. The HPLC finger printing of capsaicinoids showed no alterations in their profile as compared with the control sample. The SEM analysis revealed that the enzyme pretreatment, especially with enzymes ViscozymeL and Celluclast was potentially effective in rupturing the cell walls and making them more susceptible to extraction medium. In economic point of view, the results of the present study could be used effectively in the spice industry to increase the extraction yield and quality of oleoresin from green chilli.