Pepper With Piperine
We all know piperine in the market is normally from black pepper, but how about white pepper? Does white pepper contain piperine? Why don’t use other pepper types? In this blog we introduce different kinds of pepper, after reading you will get an answer about why we use black pepper for piperine extraction instead of white pepper. Now let’s take a look!
Pepper nigrum L. (Latin name) is a popular seasoning for its flavor, the source of its aromatic smell is piperine, which is the main component of pepper. White pepper is after removing the shell of black pepper, grow up from the same plant. So white pepper also contains piperine, but black pepper contains more piperine, that’s why the aroma of black pepper is stronger.
Pepper is the only condiment in the world that produces four colors due to different harvesting times and processing techniques. Accordingly, pepper types have four types according to their colors: black pepper, white pepper, green pepper, and red pepper.
Types of Peppercorns
1. Black pepper
Black pepper is to harvest the pepper seeds before they mature on the tree. Then dry the pepper seeds at a certain temperature. The later harvest the pepper seeds, the better and stronger their aroma will be.
2. White pepper
White peppercorns grow fully mature on trees and then we pick it. Remove the outer skin of the pepper fruit so you can get the white pepper seed.
The common method for peeling pepper is to soak the pepper fruits in water for a week, and it is best to use slow-moving running water. Once the skin of the pepper fruit gets soft, the skin can easily get off. The pepper fruit with the outer skin removed is pepper seeds.
Since removing the outer skin of pepper seeds also removes part of the pepper’s aroma, white pepper has another flavor, which is not as strong as black pepper. The piperine content is generally lower than black pepper due to no skin.
The price of white pepper is significantly higher than that of black pepper. The first reason is that the harvest is late, so there is more risk of birds picking and the bad weather affecting harvest. Secondly, the production of white pepper requires more steps than black pepper.
3. Green Peppercorns
Green peppercorns are directly from the unripe fruit. Because picking the pepper seeds too early, green peppers are mildly spicy but contain a soft, fresh smell.
4. Red Peppercorns
Pick the pepper when it is ripe and use the same production process as green pepper to prevent the fermentation of pepper seeds. Through this process, preserving the bright color, and resulting in red color peppercorns.
Red peppercorns are very rare in the market. The taste is obviously spicier than green pepper. It has a strong aroma and mature taste of black pepper and the freshness of green pepper. When making red pepper, must harvest it at the right moment and then dried quickly to prevent the seeds from fermenting. Another challenge is to prevent the shell of white pepper seeds from softening and peeling.
Nutrition of Pepper Piperine
The nutritional value of pepper is mainly piperine, which is good for health and skin, black pepper extract has wide applications in medical, healthcare, cosmetic, and food additives fields. Piperine also can increase the absorption of nutrition.
Pepper is rich in protein and fat, which can warm the stomach, relieve greasiness, and help digestion. In addition to being a food ingredient, pepper also has some medical value. Recent Chinese medicine studies have pointed out that pepper can help stabilize blood sugar, reduce blood sugar fluctuations in diabetic patients, and help treat fatty liver. As applied in the healthcare industry, our KINTAI provides OEM services including capsules, แท็บเล็ต, formula supplements, private labels, and customized packaging.
Four Colors Pepper Application
- Black pepper is the most produced and consumed of all peppers, also the piperine extract is mainly from black pepper, due to the cost and supply amount.
- White pepper is also commonly used in Chinese food when the spiciness of pepper is needed but no need pepper smell. In Western cuisine also uses it to make light-colored sauces, cause using colored peppers would destroy the color. The use of white pepper can retain the original flavor of the ingredients. In this case, if add black pepper, the strong black pepper smell needs a long time cooking to disappear.
- Green pepper is more common in Western food and we often apply it in dipping sauces such as mustard. Green peppercorns are also the best pepper for frying steaks and grilling fish.
- Red pepper does not add much flavor to food and we usually add it for curiosity, therefore the demand and market are smaller.