Study of the correlation between the capsaicin content and the frequency of consumption of five varieties of peppers consumed in the city of Man, Ivory Coast

Chili pepper is used in the culinary field as a flavor enhancer. In the city of Man, chili is very popular because the local sauces which are mostly sticky would be difficult to consume without the spicy flavor of chili. This hot pepper flavor comes from capsaicin (8-Methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide). The aim of this study is to assess the correlation between the capsaicin content and the frequency of consumption of five varieties of peppers consumed in the city of Man, Ivory Coast. For this study, the investigation focused on 5 neighborhoods in the city of Man. A total of 250 households were surveyed. After the consumption frequency survey, the capsaicin content of the 5 varieties of peppers was determined. The most consumed varieties of peppers belong to the genus Capscicum annuum. These are the varieties Capscicum annuum yellow and Capsicum annuum Antillean with respective capsaicin contents of 812.26 ± 0.28 µg/ml and 703.32 ± 0.12 µg/ml. This study established that in the city of Man, consumption frequencies evolve proportionally to the capsaicin content of chili peppers.