Effects of roasting on pyrazine contents and oxidative stability of red pepper seed oil prior to its extraction.

Red pepper seeds were roasted with constant stirring for 6, 9, 10, and 12 min at 210 degrees C, and oils were extracted from the roasted red pepper seeds using an expeller. The iodine values and fatty acid compositions of red pepper seed oils did not change with roasting time. The fatty acid composition of the oil obtained from the red pepper seeds roasted for 6 min was 0.24% myristic acid, 13. 42% palmitic acid, 0.33% palmitoleic acid, 2.07% stearic acid, 10. 18% oleic acid, 73.89% linoleic acid, and 0.37% linolenic acid, showing a fatty acid composition similar to that of high-linoleate safflower oil. Thirteen alkylpyrazines were identified in the roasted red pepper seed oils: 2-methylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2,6-dimethylpyrazine, 2-ethylpyrazine, 2-ethyl-6-methylpyrazine, 2-ethyl-5-methylpyrazine, trimethylpyrazine, 2,6-diethylpyrazine, 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazine, tetramethylpyrazine, 2, 3-diethyl-5-methylpyrazine, 2-isobutyl-3-methylpyrazine, and 3, 5-diethyl 2-methylpyrazine. The pyrazine content increased markedly as the roasting time increased, showing 2.63, 5.01, 8.48, and 13.10 mg of total pyrazine/100 g of oils from the red pepper seeds roasted for 6, 8, 10, and 12 min, respectively, at 210 degrees C. 2, 5-Dimethylpyrazine in the roasted red pepper seed oil seemed to be the component most responsible for the pleasant nutty aroma of the oils. The oxidative stabilities of oils increased greatly as the roasting time increased.