P. nigrum is a perennial vine native to southern India. It is cultivated in India, the Sunda Islands, Madagascar and the
Comoro Islands. The plant exhibits a thick, branched stalk; alternate, spear-shaped leaves; sessile flowers arranged in spikes opposite
the leaves; and round berries that turn from green to dark-red on ripening. The best-known commercial qualities of pepper include
Malabar and Lampong. Whole, dried berries, consisting of the epicarp, mesocarp and endocarp, yield black pepper. Berries stripped
of the epicarp and the outer portion of the mesocarp (by manual or mechanical maceration) yield white pepper.
The dried berry contains the aroma distributed as follows: the epicarp contains the resinous fraction consisting of chavicin and
the outer portion of the mesocarp contains the essential oil. Therefore, black pepper yields an essential oil and oleoresin, while white
pepper is used only as a spice. Black pepper retains both the odor and flavor characteristics of pepper, while white pepper retains only
the sharp, piquant flavor due to piperine. The part used are the berries, which are harvested at the onset of ripeneng. Black pepper
has a pungent, characteristic odor most apparent when dried, whole berries are freshly ground; the flavor is sharp and burning. White
pepper has a little odor, but the flavor is unusually sharp, biting and burning.
精油の成分
Piperine, [1-(5-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-1-oxo-2,4, pentadienyl) piperidine], is a pungent alkaloid present in P. nigrum
L. The dried, unripe fruit of P. nigrum L. contains volatile oil, 5 to 9% piperine, piperidine, chavicin, fat, proteins and resin. The
principal alkaloids of black pepper are piperine (6 to 11%) and chavicine (0.8%). Pepper also contains piperet-tine; myristicin various
mono- and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, and oxygenated compounds. In addition, pepper contains small amounts of safrole (100 ppm) and tannins (300 ppm). The volatile oil contributes to the aroma of black pepper, while the nonvolatile constituents, mostly piperine,
are the source of its pungency.
