Thin layer chromatography of extracts of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) fruit gave two capsaicinoid-like substances (tentatively named CLS-A and -B), which differed from capsaicinoid in their Rf values. Intervarietal crosses were made using as a parent the sweet variety, ′CH-19 sweet′ which had been selected and fixed from the hot variety, ′CH-19 hot′, and the formation of capsaicinoid and CLS-A and -B was studied.
Sweet varieties such as ′California Wonder′ and ′Murasaki′ contained no CLS-A nor-B. Capsaicinoid content was notably high, and CLS-A and -B contents low, in F₁ populations between these sweet varieties and ′CH-19 sweet′. In F₁ populations between hot varieties and ′CH-19 sweet′, capsaicinoid content was either comparable to, or lower than the parent hot varieties. CLS-A was detected in the fruit 20 days after anthesis, and CLS-B 10 days after anthesis, that is, prior to capsaicinoid formation. Varieties differed in their CLS-A and -B contents. Several hot varieties were high in these contents, ′CH-19 sweet′ being the highest.
These results suggest the possible role of CLS-A and -B in capsaisinoid formation. Crossing with ′CH-19 sweet′, and determining the contents of capsaicinoids and cap-saicinoid-like substances in F₁ populations will reveal the genetic aspect of capsaicinoid formation in the variety used for crossing.