Evaluation of the Soil Type Effect on the Volatile Compounds in the Habanero Pepper (Capsicum chinense Jacq.)

Abstract

The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of soil on the concentration of the main volatile compounds in the Habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense Jacq.). Plants were cultivated in three soils named, corresponding to the Maya classification, as Chich lu’um (brown soil), Box lu’um (black soil), and K’ankab lu’um (red soil). The volatile compounds of the peppers were extracted by steam distillation, analyzed by gas chromatography, and reported on a fresh weight (FW) basis. The results indicated that the soil presented a significative effect on the concentration of the volatile compounds evaluated (1-hexanol, hexyl-3-methyl butanoate, 3,3-dimethyl-1-hexanol, cis-3-hexenyl hexanoate). The peppers cultivated in black soil exhibited the highest concentration of 1-hexanol (360.14 ± 8.57 µg g−1 FW), 3,3-dimethyl-1-hexanol (1020.61 ± 51.27 µg g−1 FW), and cis-3-hexenyl hexanoate (49.49 ± 1.55 µg g−1 FW). In contrast, the highest concentration of hexyl-3-methyl butanoate (499.93 ± 5.78 µg g−1 FW) was quantified in peppers grown in brown soil. This knowledge helps us to understand the role of the soil in the aroma of the Habanero pepper and could be used by farmers in the region (Yucatan Peninsula) to select the soil according to the desired aroma characteristics.