ABSTRACT
Chili peppers are native to Central and South America, belonging to the family Solanaceae and the genus Capsicum and growing in atlands. The genus is made up of 31 species, 5 of which are domesticated and 26 are semidomesticated or wild (Garruti et al., 2013). Within domesticated species, it is possible to nd C. annuum, C. chinense, C. frutescens, C. baccatum, and C. pubescens, being the C. annuum the one where poblano, jalapeño, and serrano varieties are found, which the rst worldwide producer is China, followed by Mexico. There is a wide diversity of cultured and wild chilies in Mexico, from highly pungent to sweet (Latournerie et al., 2002; FAOSTAT, 2013). Mexico is also the largest consumer of chili in the world, and among the most consumed variety of chili in Mexico is the “jalapeño” (C. annuum), consumed mostly in unripe (green) form but also as the ripe (red) one.
