Analysis of Volatile Compounds from Chili Peppers and Characterization of Habanero (Capsicum chinense) Volatiles.

The Habanero pepper is characterized by its strong pungency and fruity aroma. The aim of the present study was to extract the volatile compounds of Habanero peppers, using solvent extraction and solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE) methods, and to analyze them using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The analysis detected 66 volatile compounds, including 6-methyl-(E)-4-heptenyl 3-methylbutanoate 1, which was reported previously, and 6-methyl-(E)-4-heptenyl 2-methylpropanoate 2, the corresponding butanoate 3, 2-methylbutanoate 4, and 6-methyl-(E)-4-heptenol 5, which were found in both Habanero and other peppers. 6-Methyl-(E)-4-heptenyl 3-methylbutanoate 1 and related compounds were synthesized. Furthermore, principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) of the volatile profiles generally grouped the pepper samples by species and indicated that Habanero peppers are characterized by the presence of 6-methyl-(E)-4-heptenyl esters.