Determination of capsaicinoids in salsa by liquid chromatography and enzyme immunoassay

Two simple and rapid methods were developed to monitor pungency of salsa in production. Capsaicin (C) and dihydrocapsaicin (DHC) were quantitated in 17 commercially available tomato-based salsas by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and liquid chromatography (LC) with fluorescent detection. Samples were extracted with methanol and the extracts were subjected to solid-phase extraction (SPE) using polystyrene-divinylbenzene columns. Analysis of SPE eluates showed good correlation (r2 = 0.953) between LC and EIA, with a slightly high bias for EIA. Salsa fortified with C and DHC from 0.118 to 103.2 microg/g resulted in recoveries of 90-112% (C) and 76-97% (DHC). Limits of detection by LC were 0.1 microg/g for each capsaicinoid and 0.1 microg/g by EIA for total capsaicinoids. The LC on-column response was linear from 0.2 to 100 ng for both C and DHC, whereas the working range for EIA was 0.1-2.0 ppm. Pungency varied between different salsa brands labeled mild, medium, and hot.