Improving the technology of obtaining alcohol extracts from capsicum fruits for the production of bitter tincture

The antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of many plant extracts are of great interest as natural additives in both the pharmaceutical and food industries, particularly the distillery. Extracts in the distillery industry make it possible to create original and competitive drinks, mainly related to the category of bitter tinctures, among which tinctures based on hot capsicum, belonging to the group of plant species from the genus Capsicum of the Solanaceae family, have gained the most popularity. It is well known that the fruits of capsicum, depending on the variety, vary in color, sharpness and size. Ripe fruits have a color from white to dark red, while the intensity of the red color and sharpness are the main parameters of their quality. The carotenoid pigment lycopene is mainly responsible for the red color, and the alkaloid capsaicin is responsible for the sharpness. The degree of spiciness in cultivated varieties of all types of capsicum is usually measured in Scoville thermal units, the value of which varies from 0 (bell pepper) to about 2–3 million units (hot pepper). It should be noted that capsaicin is a strong irritant that requires the use of protective glasses, respirators and compliance with the rules for handling hazardous materials, and therefore research is currently underway to improve extraction methods from hot pepper fruits by selectively removing capsaicinoids. In particular, some research focuses on the development of fractionated extraction methods. This article presents the results of a study related to the use of two–stage extraction, where the extraction of extractives from dry whole pepper is carried out at the first stage, and from ground raffinate at the second stage. This approach made it possible to reduce the dangerous effects of burning substances on practitioners directly involved in this technological operation, as well as to obtain two extracts with different concentrations of solids and severity.

стручковый перец, ликероводочная промышленность, горькая настойка, экстрагирование, единица Сковилла