Evaluation of capsaicin, Ascorbic acid, α-Carotene and ß-Carotene in Bhut Jolokia (Capsicum chinense Jacq.) genotypes from North East India

Bhut Jolokia has great demand in the pharmaceutical industries for its richness in capsaicin, caretenoids and ascorbic acid content. Its nutritional content can vary between different genotypes and area. In the present study sixteen genotypes of king chilli from different states of North East India were collected and analyzed to quantify their dry fruit yield, ascorbic acid contents, capsaicin content, α-Carotene and s-carotene. The result indicated that dry fruit yield (0.01-0.04 kg/plant), ascorbic acid contents (92.07-301.11 mg/100g), capsaicin content (0.75-4.65 %), α-Carotene (1.02-5.26 mg/L) and s-carotene (0.97-4.45 mg/L) ranged between the sixteen genotypes. The genotype CHFKC-6 showed maximum content of capsaicin content and it can be utilized for pharmaceutical use. While the genotype CHFKC-1 was good for ascorbic acid content and β-Carotene. CHFKC-15 has average for ascorbic acid, α-Carotene and β-Carotene content.