Chemical composition and nutritive value of hot pepper seed (Capsicum annuum) grown in Northeast Region of China

Hot peppers (Capsicum annuum.) belong to the Solanaceae and grow widely in various parts of the world especially in the temperate regions. Among hot pepper producing countries, China is the leading producer followed by Mexico and Turkey with above 1,745,000 tons of produce per year (Firatligil-Durmus & Evranuz, 2010). Hot pepper is widely used as a flavoring and for nutritional purposes. Hot pepper seeds are separated from the pods after eating or processing the flesh. Worldwide, millions of tons of hot pepper seeds from food processing are generated. Some of them are used as animal feed but most of them are still discarded without treatment leading to the environment pollution (Jarret et al., 2013).