PIPERINE

an organic compound classed either with the lipid family (a group consisting of fats and fatlike substances) or with the alkaloids, a family of nitrogenous compounds with marked physiological properties. It is one of the sharp-tasting constituents of the fruit of the pepper vine (Piper nigrum). Piperine constitutes approximately 5 to 9 percent of commercial black or white pepper. It was first isolated in 1820, and its chemical constitution was established by laboratory syntheses in 1882 and 1894. The sharp flavour of freshly ground pepper is attributed to the compound chavicine, a geometric isomer (having the same molecular formula but differing in structure) of piperine. The loss of pungency of ground pepper on storage is associated with slow transformation of chavicine into piperine.