RESUMEN

Capsaicin is an active compound in hot peppers. It has been studied for its health benefits for humans. Optical spectroscopy is an important tool for determining the optical properties or chemical composition of matter. The aim of this research is proposing an optical method to identify and quantify capsaicin in the visible range. To achieve this goal, we combined absorption and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy techniques to compute the extinction coefficient. Moreover, the concentration of the analytes was determined using the optical properties of capsaicin. Our method is a promising tool for developing a classification of capsaicin according to its percentage in chilies. The extinction coefficients are reported for 507nm and 663nm, which are the most significative. In addition, the coefficients to build the mathematical model for capsaicin are reported for Kubelka-Munk model. Finally, a comparison between capsaicin vs chilies spectra was obtained to identify spectral response. Diffuse reflectance signals allowed the identification of capsaicin and opened the possibility of this fast and easy to do method for classification and quantification of bioactive compounds.