Preface

Chilli peppers are one of the world's most famous spices. Almost every adult has eaten a Capsicum pepper, usually without knowing its scientific name. Capsicum peppers are much more than just a spicy taste – they are also a formidable natural product. This book aims to help you understand from a scientific perspective how and why Capsicum peppers became so popular and are so integrated with human history.

This book provides the chemical and biological background to the intrinsic characteristics of peppers, such as colour, smell and taste. The chemical composition of peppers is reviewed in detail and used to explain their biological properties. The popularization of peppers in early history was a result of their remarkable taste and medicinal properties. Capsicum peppers are a unique natural product containing an exclusive class of chemicals: the capsaicinoids. The compounds in this class of chemicals are responsible for the unique spicy taste of peppers.

This book discusses the chemical and biological features of Capsicum that have enabled the development of several different technologies, including cosmetics and, more controversially, non-lethal weapons. We believe that this book will help to build a solid bank of knowledge for researchers developing natural products based on the diversity of Capsicum.

Valdir Florencio da Veiga, Jr

Larissa Silveira Moreira Wiedemann

Claudio Pereira de Araujo, Jr

Ananda da Silva Antonio