Sensory Numb Taste Characteristics and Numb Taste-Active Components of Pepper Oil Produced in Different Areas of China

Pepper (Zanthoxylum bungeanum) oil was produced by deep-frying using 17 Chinese red pepper samples from different geographical origins as raw materials, and sensory evaluation and high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) were used to determine the temporal dynamic curves of numb taste intensity and the content and composition of numb taste-active substances, respectively. The numb taste characteristics of pepper oil from different production areas were investigated by partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and systematic cluster analysis (CA). The results showed that the numb taste characteristics and the composition of numb taste-active components of pepper oil from different production areas were significantly different (P < 0.05). In addition, the 17 oil samples were clustered into four clusters. Cluster Ⅰ included the cultivars Fujiao and Mianjiao from Gansu, and Dahongpao from Maoxian and Wenchuan of Sichuan. Cluster Ⅱ included the cultivar Nanjiao from Sichuan. Cluster Ⅲ included the cultivar Dahongpao from Shaanxi, Shanxi and Hebei. Cluster Ⅳ included small- and large-sized peppers from unknown cultivars.