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Capsaicinoids are the name given to the class of compounds found present in members of the capsicum family of plants. The most common of these compounds is

N-Vanillyl-8-methyl-6-(E)-noneamide, or Capsaicin for short (View a model of this molecule using Chime or VRML plugin). Nearly as common is Dihydrocapsaicin (Chime or VRML). These occur in varying ratios from plant to plant, from a 1:1 ratio to 2:1. Between them they typically make up 80-90% of the total capsaicinoid concentration, the rest being made up by such compounds as

Nordihydrocapsaicin (Chime or VRML), Homocapsaicin (Chime or VRML), and Homodihydrocapsaicin (Chime or VRML).

These have been isolated and analysed by HPLC and GC-MS.