Experiment

Experimental Design

Procedure

Figure 3.1. Peppers were cut into small pieces

1. Small pieces of peppers were placed in a beaker

• Peppers were weighed using electronic balance and were cut into small pieces
• A beaker was selected, labeled and weighed using electronic balance
• The pieces were transferred to the beaker

Figure 3.2. Peppers were weighed using electronic balance

2. Capsaicinoids were extracted using ethanol as solvent

Figure 3.3: Peppers were submerged in ethanol

• 70 mL of ethanol was measured in the graduated cylinder and added to the beaker
• A stir bar was placed into the beaker
• The beaker was sealed with film using elastic band
• The beaker was placed onto the stirrer
• The mixture of peppers and ethanol was stirred for 5 hours
• The stir bar was removed from the beaker

3. The peppers were filtered out

• A funnel containing filter paper was placed on top of another empty beaker
• The filter paper was dampened with ethanol using a pasteur pipette until it was saturated
• The mixture of peppers and ethanol in the original beaker was filtered through the funnel into the empty beaker
• The collected solution was transferred back into the original beaker

Figure 3.4. Evaporating ethanol in beaker

4. The solvent was evaporated

• The stir bar was placed back into the beaker
• The beaker was placed onto the stirrer and hot plate for 2 hours at 80 °C to allow most of the ethanol to evaporate
• The stir bar was removed
• The beaker was left overnight to allow the remaining trace amount of ethanol to evaporate

5. The extracted capsaicinoids were analyzed

• The beaker was sealed with film to prevent dust particles from entering the beaker
• Before the beaker was weighed, the film was removed
• The beaker was weighed using electronic balance
• The mass of the extracted capsaicinoids is calculated

6. Repeat the above process for each type of pepper