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The applicability of microwave irradiation to assist the extraction of capsaicinoids from capsicum fruit was investigated. The procedure involved irradiation of 2g samples in a closed vessel followed by gas chromatography of capsaicinoid derivatives. The optimum conditions for extraction were determined to be acetone at 30% power for 7 minutes irrespective of ground or whole tissue.

The yield of the compounds extracted was significantly greater (P<0.05) using microwave assisted extraction (MAE) compared to traditional reflux and shaken flask methods. A single extraction step was efficient in recovering approximately 95% of the total capsaicinoid fraction in 15 minutes compared with 2 hours for the reflux and 24 hours for the shaken flask methods. Due to the considerable savings in time and energy as well as reliability, this technique is suitable for fast extraction of capsaicinoids from large samples.