VolumeKVl11 Number 3, Pall LU(

N E W S L E T T E R e-mail : hotchile@nrnsu.edu

Chile Peppers in Russia In Every Issue

Recipe

Capsicum News 6

Burning Questions 7

Inside This Issue

Russian Seed List

Just How Hot

Effects of Pepper spray

By Dr. Yury V. Fotev Central Siberian Botanical Garden, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation

Although surprising to some people, the chile pepper is an important element in Russian culture and traditions.

Chile peppers were first cultivated in Russia in 1616. Historical documents show the chile pepper

cuisine included ginger, black pepper, cinnamon, clove, saiEon, and parsley, all lending their exotic flavors to create a pungent and fragrant Russian cuisine. Spices were commonly added to soups, meats, vegetables, fish dishes, sauces, and honey cakes, as well as

tea, kvass (a beverage), and

1 fiuitdrinks. Russian

I Orthodox tradition allows for chile pepper to be added to steamed fish or fish soup. For example, on Saturdays and

Russia fkom Iran and t - 2 - Turkey.

Some researchers believe the Russian word "prianost" (spice) results fkom the word "perets" (pepper). Notable Russian philologist, Vladimir Dal, wrote that "perets [is a] spice which has burning taste." The

! Russian word bbprianik" (honey cake) arose more recently because before the 20" century

4 Russians usually added pepper and other spices to the flour. Ancient Russians commonly used spices

5 such as dill, mint, horse-radish, onion, garlic, and anise in their everyday cooking. As far back as the 15th and 16th centuries, Russian

Sundays J W g t h e

a~reat ~ a s t , monks in the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery ate black caviar with onion and red caviar with chile pepper. Chile pepper cultivation was widespread in

the Astrakhan region of Russia in the 1840's. In 1930, reserchers breed chile pepper cultivars of Capsicum annuum L. species and in 1935, the well-known, early cultivar Astrakhansky A-60 was released fkom the Krasnodar Agricultural Research Station. The cultivar has red fluits and is 2-3 inches in length, about 1 -inch in diameter and weighs about 111 0 of an ounce. Breeders at the Volgograd Research Station have recently

RUSS' , CONTINUED, PAGE 4

PAGE 2 2006 Russian State List of Cultivars

The 2006 Russian State List of cultivars of chile pepper Capsicum annuum L. and Capsicum frutescens L.

Cultivar* Year ** ApplicantIBreeder OPE, cultivar*** Shape of

Capsicum annuum L. var. longurn (DC) Sendt, cultivars: fruit

1. Avrora 8 ](Aurora 8 1) 2005 "Agrosemtoms", private company Kirov OP Trunk- shaped

2. Astrakhansky 147 1943 1)Volgograd Research Station of the N. I. Vavilov All- Russian Research Institute OP Truncated- of Plant Industry (VIR), State Scientific InstitutionVolgograd region conic 2) "Volgogradsortsemovosch", Federal State Institution Volgograd 3) Frolova Anna G Volgograd region

3. Vizier (Vizier) 2005 All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Vegetable Breeding and Seed OP Oval-round Production "VNIISSOK' Moscow region

4. Volshebniy buke 2000 All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Vegetable Breeding and Seed OP Narrowly- (Magic bouquet) Production, "VNIISSOK" Moscow region triangular

5. Zhguchiy buket 2004 All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Vegetable Crops, State Scientific Long-cone (Burning bouquet) Institution "VNIIO Moscow region shaped

6. Zadira (Teaser) 2001 "Khardvik", private company St.-Petersburg Trunk- shaped

7. Malen'kiy Prinz 2000 All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Vegetable Breeding and Seed Round (Little Prince) Production "VNIISSOK" (Moscow region)

8. Molniya zolotay 2006 "Sedek", private company (Moscow) Long-e (Lightning golden) shaped

9. Molniya krasnaya 2006 "Sedek", private company (Moscow) Long-cone (Lightning red) shaped

10. Molniya chernaya 2006 "Sedek", private company (Moscow) Long-cone (Lightning black) shaped

1 1. Neposeda (Fidget) 2004 "Manul", private company, Moscow OP Long-cone shaped

12. Ognennaya deva 2000 AU-Russian Scientific Research Institute ofvegetable Breeding and Seed OP Conic (Fiery Maiden) Production ("VNIISSOK'), Moscow region

13. Ognenniy wlkan 2000 All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Vegetable Breeding and Seed OP Long-cone (Fiery volcano) Production ("'VNIISSOK"), Moscow region shaped

14. Ogoniok (Little flame) 2006 Pridnestrovskiy Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture (Tiraspol, Republic of OP Longcone Moldova) shaped

15. Slonoviy khobot 304 (Elephant trunk) 1952 "Sortcemovosch" Belorechenskaya Seed Base (Krasnodar region) OP Trunk-

shaped 16. Tonus (Tone)

2001 "Agrosemtoms", private company (Kirov) ERLINK" OP Conic 17. Tul'skiy

1979 Maikop Research Station of the N. I. Vavilov All- Russian Research Institute of F , Longcone Plant Industry (VIR), State Scientific Institution Krasnodar region shaped

18. Chudo Podmoskov'ia 2000 All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Vegetable Breeding and Seed OP Round (Wonder of Moscow Production "VNIISSOK" (Moscow region) region)

Long-cone 19. Shock (Shock) 2006 1) "Gisok-Agro", private company (Moscow) OP shaped

2) Andreeva Eugenia N. (Moscow)

20. Yubileiniy VNIISSOK 2000 All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Vegetable Breeding and Seed OP Trunk- (Jubilee of All-Russian Production 'VNIISSOK" (Moscow region) shaped Scientific Res. Inst, of Veg.Seed Prod.)

21. Yazik drakona 2000 All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Vegetable Breeding and Seed Trunk- (Tongue of dragon) Production "VNIISSOK7' (Moscow region) shaped

2006 Russian State List of Cultivars cont. PAGE 3

Cultivar* Year ** ApplicantBreeder OP/F, cultivar*** Shape of

Capsicumfitescens L. cultivars: £iuit

1. Babie leto (Indian summer) 1998 "Gavrish", private company Moscow OP Rround

2. Zabiyaka (Fighter) 2004 "Manul", private company, Moscow OP Prism- shaped

3. Kapriz (Caprice) 2004 "Manul", private company, Moscow OP Round

4. Karmen 1998 "Gavrish", private company Moscow OP Conic

5. Nevesta (Fiancee) 1998 "Gavrish", private company Moscow OP Conic

6. Piovaya dama (Queen of spades) 1998 "Gavrish", private company Moscow OP Conic

7. Riabinushka (Beautiful rowan) 2000 All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Vegetable OP Breeding and Seed Production Round "VNIISSOK" Moscow region

8. Salut (Salute) 1998 "Gavrish", private company Moscow OP Conic

9. Sozvezdie (Constellation) 2000 All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Vegetable OP Conic Breeding and Seed Production "VNIISSOK" Moscow region

* - Russian name of cultivar (translation to English); ** - year of cultivar registration; *** - OP - open-pollinated cultivar, F, -hybrid F,

Recipe - Hot Potato Patties 1 lb potatoes, peeled and cubed season with salt. Shape mixture into small balls and gently 2 fresh green chile peppers, seeded and chopped flatten into pattiues. Heat oil to 350-375°F or until a cube 1 fresh red chile pepper, seeded and chopped of bread dropped in the 1 tbs blanched almonds, chopped oil browns in 30 sec- 2 tbs unsweetened coconut onds. Deep-fiy the 1 tbs chopped cilantro or parsley patties in batches if 2 tbs flour necessary, for five /- IRI 2 tbs grated gingerroot minutes or until golden A

vegetable oil for deepfiying brown. Drain on paper salt for water and to taste towels.

Cook potatoes in a large pan of lightly salted, boiling From Chili, A Fiery L

water for 20-25 minutes, or unit1 tender. Drain well and Feast of Red-Hot mash with a fork or potato masher, let potatoes rest until Recipes, available fiom they are cool enough to handle. the Chile Pepper Stir the chile peppers, almonds, coconut, cilantro, flour Institute and ginger into the mashed potatoes, mixing well and

The Chile Pepper Institute Newsletter The Chile Pepper Institute Rich Phillips - NMSU CES Paul Bosland & Danise Coon - Production Board of Directors Stephanie Walker - NMSU CES Chris Coon - EditorJWriter Paul W. Bosland, Director John White - NMSU CES The Chile Pepper Institute Danise Coon, Program Coordinator New Mexico State University MSC 34 P.O. Box 30003 Emma Jean Cewantes, Chair - Cewantes Enterprise Ex. Officio Directors Las Cruces, NM 88003 Louis Biad - Biad Chile Lowell Catlett - Dean, CAHE (505)646-3028 Ed Curry - Curry Seed Company LeRoy Daugherty - AES (505)646-6041 fax Dave DeWitt - Fiery Foods Mag. Greg Mullins - Dept. PES http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org Wendy Hamilton - NMSU CES

PAGE 4 Chile Peppers in Russia Cont.

createdthe cultivarAstmkhamky 147. This chile cal Garden (CSBG) in Novosibirsk, which also held joint pepper has very hot contracts with liquor and vodka factories, tested various

I pendant f i t s 4 chile pepper cultivars. Their tests included local cultivars inches in length and from the N. I. Vavilov All- Russian Research Institute of weighs approximately Plant Industry (VlR), Leningrad-St.-Petersburg and a !4 OZ. foreign cultivars fiom botanical gardens abroad. In 1998, Another popular - -

1 chile pepper, 'Slonoviy khobot 304' (Elephant trunk) was bred in 1937 at the Maikop Research Station; it is milky white before maturity and has medium to hot red mature f i t s ,

eer pepper 5 !4 inches in length. In 1950, this cultivar was recommended

for growing in ten regions of the former USSR. Until this point, cayenne had been the most prevalent in the Russian Far East, and across different districts and republics ofthe former USSR (Northern Caucasus, Ukraine). The first F, hybrid chile pepper, 'Tul'skiy,' was bred at the Maikop Research Station in 1979. It is an early cultivar with big, conical-shaped fi-uits that weigh about 1 ounce and has a strong aroma.

Between 1966 and 1969, the Central Siberian Botani-

the G s i a n private co~npany "Gavrish" registered five cultivars of CapsicumJizltescens L. with a h i t weight of ?4 ounce, a hot taste, and a strong aroma. Today, the All-Russian Institute of Vegetable Breeding and Vegetable Seed Production "VNIISSOK" (Moscow region) has a research program specifically for chile peppers. The CSBG supports the botanical collection of chile pepper cultivars and is currently breeding for productivity and bio- chemical traits in Sibe- rian red, Siberian yellow, and the cultivar Alligator.

The 2006 Russian State List of Cultivars has 2 1 cultivars of C. annuum var. longum (DC) Sendt. and 9 cultivars of C. frutescens. Hot pepper '01 1 ' I

I Just How Hot Is That Red Hot Chile Pepper? Baylor University researchers have developed a new

way to test the "heat" inside a habanero chile pepper. The relatively simple technique to analyze the active components in the chile pepper could provide quicker and more accurate information to the food preparation industry and to those wanting to utilize chile peppers for medical purposes, such as pain relief

Capsaicinoids are the family of chemicals that give a chile pepper its hotness. Capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin are two members of the group that make up to 90 percent of the total capsaicinoid content found in most chile peppers. The exact

i amount of capsaicinoid content varies fiom h i t to h i t ,

giving each individual chile pepper a different degree of hotness.

"Capsaicinoids are the active ingredient in pepper spray, tear gas and some arthritis medications, not to mention spices and foods like salsa, so a wide range of industries could find this new approach usell," said Dr. Kenneth Busch, professor of chemistry and cedirector of the Center for Analytical Spectroscopy at Baylor and a lead investigator on the project.

The current industry standard to test the heat of a chile pepper is through a process called high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), but the process can

Continued on the next page

=epper Spray on Skin Types PAGE 5

I I The Effects of Pepper Spray on Skin Types Dr. Lynn Pershing and her colleagues in the Department of

Dermatology at the University of Utah School of Medicine report a novel way to test the effectiveness of pepper spray.

Researchers sprayed the arm of a volunteer with pepper spray and then measure the color change of the arm. The redder the arm the greater the potency of the pepper spray. Historically, pepper spray product potency has been established using a taste test evaluation. Ataste test is subjective and may not be appropriate for assessing pepper potency on skin. Researchers evaluated chemically diverse pepper sprays on human forearm skin using three noninvasive objectives: transepidermal water loss, skin surface temperature and erythema, which is the redness of the skin caused by increased blood flow to the capillaries, as a means for assessing dermal pharmacology, toxicology and product potency.

Five commercial pepper spray products containing various capsaicinoid analogs at various concentrations were evaluated in duplicate on the forearms of six Caucasians and six Asians using a 10 -minute exposure. Mean surface skin temperature and transepidermal water loss results were highly variable and therefore did not demonstrate dose responsive behavior to increasing capsaicinoid

concentrations. Erythema, as measured by increases in uniform color of the skin, was greater in discriminating pepper spray potency and correlated well with the relative and total capsaicinoid concentration in the products. Products containing greater than 16 mg capsaicinoid concentration produced greater erythema responses in Caucasians thanhians. Asians responded greater to the synthetic analog, than to mixtures of capsaicinoids, while Caucasians responded equally to both capsaicinoid analogs. Results indicate that pepper spray product potency in human skin reflects the total capsaicinoid concentration, the specific capsaicinoids present, and the race of the individual exposed. Source: Journal of Applied Toxicolog~ 26 : 88-97

Just How Hot Continued

be expensive and time consuming because scientists must first chemically separate the capsaicinoids in the extract from other interfaing molecules that also are present. Rather than try to chemically separate the capsaicinoids,

Baylor researchers used a mathematical approach based on multivariate regression modeling. The new approach takes known capsaicinoid content numbers from a series of chile pepper extracts and plugs them into a computer program. Those base numbers "train" the computer to focus on the subtle features present in the spectrum that correlate with the capsaicinoid concentration, allowing the computer to recog- nize the hotness components in the extract even in the presence ofthe other interfering molecules. Once the com- puter has been "trained" to recognize those components, it canthen be used to determine the heat of other unknown chile peppers.

While methods for testing the heat of a chile pepper have dramatically improved over the years, Baylor researchers believe their cheminformatics approach is less expensive and

quicker than other modern techniques, potentially saving time for the busy food preparation industry. "Like all fundamental research, application will come over time," Busch said. Note: This story has been adaptedpom a news release issued by Baylor University.

IS YOUR LABEL RED? IT'S TIME TO RENEW YOUR

CPI MEMBERSHIP! !

PAGE 6 Capsicum News

CAPSICUM NE WS China: Space Chile Peppers Land in the Market

The technology of growing chile peppers from space seeds has been approved recently in the Gansu Province, in northwest China. It all started in 200 1, when Tianshui Lupeng Agricultural Science and Technology Co. LTD, the Chinese Research Institute of Space Technology and the Institute of Genetics and Development Biology embarked upon a joint project to grow space chile peppers, according to the People's Daily News. "Outer space has become an industrial base for seed development," as- serted Liu Jiyuan, former director of the State Aerospace Bureau in the ongoing China Industrial Hi-tech Forum in 2001, giving 5 112 ounces of green peppers as an example of what can be grown from "space seeds."

The seeds used in the recent harvest were selected from good quality plants of 'Gansu' bell peppers and 'Gannong' thin chile peppers that had spent a week in the Shenzhou-3 spaceship. The new varieties of space chile peppers are now available in Tianshui's

markets and will be grown and sold in large quantities in the Gansu, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Ningxia Provinces and Autonomus regions next year. From Peppers Today, August 2007.

New Habanero Blasts Taste Buds-and Pests

The super-hot, bright orange 'Tiger Paw - NR' habanero offers extreme heat for chile pepper aficionados, plus nematode resistance that will make it a hit with growers and home gardeners. Plant geneticist Richard L. Fery and plant pathologist Judy A. Thies at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) U.S. Vegetable Laboratory, Charleston, S.C., put the chile pepper through three years of greenhouse and field tests before determining, in 2006, that it was ready for commercial fields and backyard gardens. The firm, shiny pod gets its name fiom its tiger-paw-like appearance. The 'Tiger Paw' is the first commercial habanero pepper resistant to attack by microscopic, soil-dwelling worms known as root-knot nematodes, according to the scientists. 'Tiger Paw-NR' can fend off the southern root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita; the peanut root-knot nematode, M arenaria and the tropical root-knot nematode, M javanica.

Fery and Thies used conventional breeding methods to develop the chile pepper. Tests using the standard Scoville Heat Scale show that 'Tiger Paw-NR' scores a fiery 348,634 SHU. Habaneros typically score 100,000 or higher, compared to the 3,500 to 5,000 range ofjalapeiios, for instance. From Agricultural Research magazine, July 2007

Hybrid Peppers Can Be Raised With Minimal Protection Under Moderate Winter Conditions

Genetically enhanced hybrid chile peppers developed at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem that can be raised with minimal protection under moderate winter conditions have achieved worldwide commercial success. Chile pepper is one of the major vegetable crops in the world and in Israel. The genetic improvements embodied in the chile peppers widen the ecological conditions under which they can be grown and also facilitate the use of simple greenhouses and

Burning Questions PAGE 7

BURNING QUESTIONS Q. I have grown accustomed to eating hot chile peppers, teeth, and the spending power to shape the entire food however I have several people warning me recently that say market. eating too many jalape os will damage the eater's tastebuds? Eighty percent ofthe 2 million annual visitors to fiery- Is this true? foods.comhttp://Fiery-Foods.com/, a website for

aficionados of chile peppers and barbecue sauce, are A. There is currently no scientific evidence that eating large men 45 and older, according to Dave DeWitt, who runs amounts ofhot chile peppers will damage the taste buds. An the site and is a Chile Pepper Institute Board member. article was published recently in the Boston Globe that Research in this area is slow, but what we do know is addresses issues with tastebuds. that at a certain age - after about 40 for most people -

Some food scientists and market researchers think there is the number of nerve receptors in the nose and tongue a more surprising reason for the broad nationwide shift that respond to smell and taste dim and decrease. As toward bolder flavors: The baby boomers, that huge, youth- that happens, complex flavors become duller. Sweet and chasing, all important demographic, are getting old. As they sour tastes decline sharply; salty and acidic tastes remain age, they are losing their ability to taste and are turning to brighter for longer. The tastes that penetrate the fog most spicier, higher-flavor foods to overcome their dulled senses. clearly come fiom another group of flavors called Chiefly because of degenerating olfactory nerves, most sensory irritants. These hit the body not through taste or

aging people experience a diminished sense oftaste, whether smell, but through the chemosensory system, which they realize it or not. But unlike previous generations, in the conveys sensations like touch, temperature, pain, and U.S., 80 million boomers have broad appetites, a full set of pressure.

NEWS, CONTINUED.

netting instead of expensive structures. The chile peppers, in various colors, have been raised to produce high yields under night-time conditions as low as

50°F, which is much lower than previous hybrids that required temperatures higher than 64°F and needed costly heating to grow and develop. The new hybrids are characterized by high yields, a long growing season, resistance to viruses, firm h i t , good vine storage capacity, long shelf-life, and low sensitivity to cracking. Science Dailey, June 2007

Red Pepper: Hot Stuff For Fighting Fat? Food scientists in Taiwan reported new evidence fiom laboratory experiments that capsaiciniods, natural compounds

that give chile pepper its hotness can reduce the growth of fat cells. The study is in the March 21 issue of the [Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry]. In the report, Gow-Chin Yen and Chin-Lin Hsu cite previous research suggesting that obesity can be reduced by preventing immature fat cells (adipocytes) fiom developing into mature cells. Past research also linked capsaicin to a decrease in the amount of fat tissue and decreased blood-fat levels. With that knowledge, the researchers tested capsaicin's effects on pre-adipocytes and adipocytes growing in laboratory cul- tures.

They found that capsaicin prevented pre-adipocytes fiom filling with fat and becoming 111-fledged fat cells. The effects occurred at levels just slightly greater than those found in the stomach fluid of an individual eating a typical Indian or Thai diet, the researchers noted. Capsai- cin worked by providing a biochemical signal that made fat cells undergo apoptosis, a mechanism in which cells self- destruct. From Science Daily, August 2007