BULLETIN 43, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
COLOR. 
The color desired in paprika is a bright red, not too pale and 
not too brownish in tinge. As the red coloring matter is found in 
the outer wall of the fruit, this part (" shell ") when ground sepa- 
rately gives the lightest red color. Since, however, the shells when 
so ground give a dry powder which tends to fly about when used, some 
prefer the pods ground with the seeds. The seeds contain a large 
amount of a fatty oil, 
in which the red col- 
oring matter is solu- 
ble, and this oil gives 
a slight stickiness to 
the powder, making- 
it less dusty in use, 
brightening and 
deepening the color, 
and also aiding in 
bringing out its aro- 
matic properties. The 
seeds, with the seed 
coats and other tis- 
sues present, intro- 
duce into the powder 
a pale brownish tinge, 
which to a consider- 
able extent modifies 
the action of the oil 
present in brighten- 
ing the color of the 
powder. 
The color is influ- 
enced to a consider- 
able degree by the 
In general, the finer the powder the brighter 
PUNGENCY. 
Fig. 3. — Dried American paprika peppers of desirable type. 
(Two-thirds natural size.) 
fineness of the powder, 
and lio-hter the color. 
The degree of pungency present is an important characteristic of 
paprika. To those accustomed to the very mild Spanish paprika 
the Hungarian article is rather strongly pungent. This quality has 
been found by chemists to be due to a crystalline substance of some- 
what doubtful chemical character, known as capsaicin (C 9 H 14 (X). 
This substance occurs in the papery pale-reddish or yellowish tissues 
of the placenta?. The seeds, which are attached in a crowded ar- 
