Capsaicinoids
Capsaicinoids are the family of alkylamides responsible for the pungency of chilli peppers, produced in the placental tissue of fruit of the genus Capsicum. They share a vanillylamide head group joined by an amide bond to a branched fatty acid chain, and they differ only in the length and saturation of that chain, which is why they behave almost identically in formulation but differ in relative heat.
Six members account for essentially all of the natural mixture. Capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin together make up roughly ninety percent, in a ratio that varies with cultivar, with nordihydrocapsaicin, homocapsaicin, homodihydrocapsaicin and nonivamide making up the remainder. Total capsaicinoid content is the analytical figure the trade quotes, converted for commercial purposes into Scoville heat units by a fixed multiplier.
The isolated mixture is a white to off white crystalline powder, odourless but severely irritant as a dust, and is handled in contained equipment. It is practically insoluble in cold water and freely soluble in ethanol, acetone, edible oils and alkali, so it is dosed into a fat phase or bought dispersed on a carrier or emulsified for aqueous systems. Capsaicinoids are stable to heat, to acid and to retorting, so the heat they contribute passes through processing essentially unchanged, and they are not lost on baking or frying.
We source bulk Capsaicinoids from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Yunnan. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
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- Function
- Plant extract
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | White to off white crystalline powder |
| Source | Capsicum fruit, solvent extracted |
| Identification | HPLC profile matching capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin references |
| Total Capsaicinoids | ≥ 95.0% (HPLC) |
| Capsaicin | 60% to 70% of total capsaicinoids |
| Dihydrocapsaicin | 25% to 35% of total capsaicinoids |
| Nordihydrocapsaicin | ≤ 10% of total capsaicinoids |
| Pungency | ≥ 15,000,000 Scoville heat units |
| Loss on Drying | ≤ 1.0% |
| Residue on Ignition | ≤ 0.5% |
| Residual Ethanol | ≤ 0.5% |
| Residual Acetone | ≤ 0.5% |
| Lead | ≤ 2.0 mg/kg |
| Arsenic | ≤ 1.0 mg/kg |
| Total Plate Count | ≤ 1,000 cfu/g |
| Yeast and Mould | ≤ 100 cfu/g |
| Salmonella | Negative in 25 g |
Common Markets Grades
The mainstream commercial form is capsicum oleoresin standardised on total capsaicinoids and quoted in Scoville heat units, from around one hundred thousand for a mild seasoning oleoresin up to several million for a concentrated pungency source. These are traded alongside the assay figure, since the Scoville number is a calculation from the capsaicinoid content rather than an independent measurement.
Purified capsaicinoid crystals run at 95 percent and above and are a mixture rather than a single compound, with the capsaicin to dihydrocapsaicin ratio stated. Natural material extracted from Capsicum fruit and synthetic nonivamide, which is a capsaicinoid in its own right, are separate items with different labelling consequences. Dispersed presentations include capsaicinoids plated on salt or maltodextrin, ethanol solutions at defined strength and water dispersible emulsions, all quoted on delivered heat rather than on assay. Decolourised grades are offered where the carotenoid colour of the parent oleoresin would tint a pale product.
Applications
- Hot sauce and condiment manufacture, where a standardised input removes the batch variation of fresh chilli
- Snack and crisp seasonings, plated on salt or maltodextrin for even distribution at very low dose
- Instant noodles and soup sachets, delivering a specified heat level from a fraction of a gram
- Processed meat, marinades and brines, using the water dispersible emulsion for uniform surface heat
- Ready meals and retort products, where the heat survives sterilisation unchanged
- Thermogenic and weight management supplements, usually encapsulated to limit gastric irritation
- Topical analgesic creams, gels and patches for muscles and joints
- Defence sprays and animal deterrent products, a major non food outlet for high heat oleoresin
- Analytical reference material for pungency determination in chilli, oleoresin and finished foods
Brands Using Capsaicinoids
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Capsaicinoids on the ingredient label.
- Legion AthleticsPulse+ Burn Thermogenic Pre-Workout ↗Each serving contains 100 mg of Capsimax capsaicinoid extract supplying 2 mg of active capsaicinoids.Label verified 2026-08-31
- Transparent LabsBody Recomp Fat Burner ↗The supplement facts panel lists 50 mg of Capsimax red pepper extract, a capsaicinoid concentrate.Label verified 2026-08-31
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Capsaicinoids
Top Capsaicinoids manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
In the United States, capsicum and capsicum oleoresin are generally recognised as safe as spices and spice extractives under 21 CFR 182.10 and 182.20 and are recognised flavouring materials of the Flavour and Extract Manufacturers Association. Purified capsaicinoids follow the use: dietary ingredient status under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act with manufacture under 21 CFR Part 111 for supplements, and active ingredient status under the over the counter external analgesic drug monograph for topical products, which sets the permitted concentration range.
In the European Union capsicum extracts are flavouring preparations under the flavourings regulation and the individual capsaicinoids appear in the Union list of flavouring substances, so no E number applies. Paprika extract used for colour is a separate matter and is authorised as E 160c, whose specification limits the capsaicin content precisely because the colour is expected to be free of pungency. Several member states restrict purified capsaicinoids in food supplements, and the European Food Safety Authority has assessed dietary capsaicinoid intake. Codex handles chilli and its extracts through spice commodity standards and the flavourings framework, and covers paprika extract as a colour in the general standard for food additives, for which JECFA has issued a specification.
Manufacturing Process
Dried chilli pods of high pungency cultivars are cleaned, destemmed and milled, then extracted in a battery of extractors with ethanol, acetone or supercritical carbon dioxide. The miscella is drained and desolventised in a falling film and then a thin film evaporator under high vacuum, giving capsicum oleoresin containing the capsaicinoids together with carotenoid pigment, fixed oil and waxes. Standardised oleoresin is made at this point by blending across batches to a target Scoville figure and is the end product for most food customers.
Where crystalline capsaicinoids are the product, the oleoresin is de oiled by partition or winterisation and treated with dilute alkali, which converts the phenolic capsaicinoids to soluble phenolates that pass into the aqueous phase while the neutral carotenoids stay in the organic layer. The aqueous phase is washed, acidified to regenerate the free capsaicinoids, and back extracted into an organic solvent. That extract is concentrated under vacuum with solvent recovery and crystallised, then recrystallised where a higher assay is required. Crystals are washed, dried under vacuum, milled in contained equipment fitted with dust extraction, assayed by HPLC and packed in sealed double liners inside fibre drums.
