Numb Taste Characteristics of Green Pepper (Zanthoxylum schinifolium Sieb. et Zucc.) from Sichuan and Chongqing

The numb taste profiles of green pepper samples collected from seven regions in Sichuan and Chongqing were characterized by time-intensity (TI) sensory evaluation, and the contents of the major numb-taste components of these samples were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Meanwhile, correlation analyses between the numb-taste components and the sensory characteristics of green pepper were carried out by partial least squares regression (PLSR). The results showed that the numbness of green pepper rapidly rose initially, followed by a slow decline, reaching its peak after around 100 s. Amide content varied greatly among different samples, from 5505.77 to 8639.30 mg/100 g. The results of PLSR indicated that the numb taste of green pepper was closely related to its amide composition, and the maximum intensity, total duration (T_tot) and area under the curve (AUC) were strongly positively correlated with hydroxy-α-sorcinin, and T_tot was strongly positively correlated with hydroxy-ε-sorcinin and hydroxy-β-sorcinin. The numb taste and amide composition of green pepper varied among the geographical areas. Hydroxy-α-sorcinol and pepper oleoresin were the key substances responsible for the differences in the numb taste of different green pepper samples. We hope that this study will provide basic data reference and a scientific basis for follow-up evaluation of the numb taste quality of green pepper from Sichuan and Chongqing.