From: David Stanton 
Date: Thu Mar 20, 1997  21:59:03 US/Eastern
To: Chris Worth 
Cc: "chile-heads@bunny.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu" 
Subject: Re: How???
Reply-To: David Stanton 

Chris Worth wrote:

What is the best way to extract capsicum from peppers.  I recall a
long time ago there was a discussion about this, but I've managed to
delete(i suppose) those messages.

If there is a best way for food use and a best way for external use,
I'd like to hear both.

thanks a bunch.

chris

I did this once. I extracted the capsaicin from some Thai hots, ending
up with a couple of CCs of ruby red oil.

First, capsaicin is an oil, soluble in alcohol. So, I used Everclear,
available at most liquor stores. It's 190 proof, I think, which works
out to 95% pure food-grade grain alcohol.

I powdered the Thai hots in a spice blender and combined the powder with
the Everclear in a jar with a tight lid, closing it *tightly* and
shaking well. I gave it a shake every now and then for a day or so.

I then strained the solids from the alcohol with a coffee filter,
yielding a clear, ruby-red solution.

I then allowed the Everclear to evaporate in a shallow dish.

As the Everclear evaporated and its volume diminished, a red sheen of
oil formed on its surface.

Eventually, the Everclear was gone and all that was left was the ruby
red essence of the peppers -- pure capsaicin plus a little bit of color.

Don't ask me what it's good for. I just wanted to do it so I did it.

I did keep it around and taste it from time to time. Hottest thing I've
ever tried, but believe it or not, it did taste good!

Now, that's probably not what you had in mind, is it?

For external analgesic use, try some dried chiles in rubbing alcohol.
Let them soak a day or so and strain. Rubbing on the alcohol should
help/hurt the afflicted area. You may wish to start with a mild version
and work up, or you could go all out and see if you can take it. I've
also heard of simmering the chiles in olive oil and adding beeswax and
lanolin to make a cream, but don't know the receipt.

For internal use, just add chiles to whatever you eat! You can also use
chiles in vinegars or oils. If you put chiles in your bottle of cooking
oil, you may wish to pasteurize them by simmering them in the oil.
Otherwise, your peppers will ferment in the oil bottle.

David

Another one

From: YODA 
Date: Tue Apr 15, 1997  09:02:02 US/Eastern
To: Chile-Heads@bunny.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
Subject: Re: Capsaicin extraction/ Sauces
Reply-To: YODA 

the real how extract the cap:

try the following::: I think you will be amazed at the results

grind peppers ( habs, arbols, etc) in everyclear ( liquor store
grain alcohol @95% ethanol; blender or food processor )...

allow to stand for a few hours, and pour it mix through a coffee filter
collect the colored  alcohol/cap solution

allow to evaporate away from open flame ( very flamable ) until reduced by
90 % ( day or two in a warm place)

mix the remaining alcohol with good oil (olive, walnut, peanut)

this is a low yield olesin method

HIGH YIELD METHOD:
if you have a collidal mill, mix the dried peppers with the oil of choice
set the chilller to keep the oil below about 160F and let it grind for a
few hours .. vacuumm filter the oil/pepper mixture through a 25u prefilter
then through a 5u coarse filter and then finally through a 0.5 u absolute
filter maintaining about 150F to keep the oil thin

( the  addition of ethyl ether or methyl chloride to the mix would
enhance extraction and would easily be removed by evaporation;
cold extraction with liquid CO2 might also work well)

THIS is the REAL OIL to have.. vinegar, water, gums and/or starch plus
this oil is the key to making brutal sauces

I offer the following in regard to the "Dave's flavor":
Dave's, Endorphin Rush and other extract based sauces use the >oleo-resin
extract of chile peppers.  That is actually where the distinct >"taste" of
these sauces comes from.  Perhaps heat is used in that >...
One manufacturer said he was looking at a water extract, but had not
found out if chemicals were not also involved in its production.

  Since water is a chemical, I believe it is involved, but to the question
you were really asking - a water extraction will not work because Capsaicin
and all it's relatives are not very soluble in water.  Ethyl alcohol, which
was mentioned a week or too ago, will work infinitely better for the
extraction. That still begs the question as to what to dissolve the
capsaicin in for the sauce (unless you want it sold at the neighborhood
package store). On that count I can't help.

Glenn
"Understanding is a three-edge sword."

--
Jim W     My opinions are just that, not my wife's or my employer's
!!Do not assume that your freedoms are assured!! The truth is out there!
   Brew and let Brew... Homebrewing is fun. Eat Chiles.

Top of Page

This web site is maintained by Tom Strong <tomstrong@gmail.com>. It is here mostly for my convenience, I make no claims of usablity for anyone else.

Page generated 2009-03-27 18:37:37 EDT