Abstract

Solvatochromic study on UV-VIS spectra of hot red pepper extracts

Author(s): Vesna Rafajlovska, Vesna Dimova, Renata Slaveska-Raicki, Jana Klopceska, Dejan Dimitrovski

The influence of a series of organic solvents on the UV-VIS spectra of hot red pepper extracts was studied by implementing solvatochromic theory. As a part of our efforts to interpret the effects of solvent polarity and hydrogen bonding on the absorption spectra of extracted capsaicin and capsanthin, the study design was based on the linear solvation energy relationship (LSER) concept usingKamlet-Taft and Catalàn solvatochromic multiparameter approach. Accordingly, by dividing the solvents into two groups (protic and aprotic) it was ascertained that improved solvatochromic models for the group of protic solvents were obtained. The data from these experiments were used to establish correlations describing the properties of corresponding models while measured solvatochromic properties. Moreover, the statistical evaluation of the data following some statistical parameters (R, Sd, F-test, PRESS, SSY and Q2) was also presented. The statistical evaluation of obtained correlation models for capsanthin demonstrated that protic solvents models can be only accurately used to appraise the solvent effects. However, the statistical data of obtained correlation models for capsaicin showed unsatisfactory results. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the solvatochromism studies on extracts from hot red pepper with the expectation that this approach will gain more attention in natural matrix study.