Cold pressed capia pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) seed oil

The cold pressing method is a green process for extraction of seed oil. Cold pressed oils are attracting more attention due to their industrial and nutritional importance. The cold pressing technique is considered unique as it retains flavor, aroma, and beneficial components with functional properties in seed oils that might be lost, due to chemical modifications by the organic solvents and during evaporation, through conventional solvent extraction methods. The seed of C. annuum contain 18%–26% oil contents. Pepper seed oil is very rich in linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid, and many other bioactive compounds including flavonoids, phenolics, carotenoids, and various vitamins like ascorbic acid, tocopherol, and retinol/al. Owing to high antioxidant levels and essential fatty acids in pepper seed oil, it has also become a sought-after product in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries The paramount phytobioactive components available in peppers like alkamide, flavonoids, and saponin glycosides are attributed to free radical scavenging, antiobesity, antidiabetic, and antiinflammatory potential with many other aspects of pharmacological importance. The pungency in hot peppers is due to capsaicinoids, while sweet peppers contain nonpungent compound capsinoids.