Usually when something is ground it can lose some properties, e.g. a lot of seeds can lose their oil.
Does fresh chilli contain anything such as oils or anything else which a store bought powder may not have due to the processing?
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The main property that is different is that fresh chili peppers contain water. That means a significant difference in the kinds of flavors that are perceived when you consume them. Probably, most specifically, that fresh, "green" flavor and aroma that you perceive when using fresh. There are probably volatile aromatic properties that lost during dehydration. You can confirm and choose the variety of pepper when using fresh. Ground, dried peppers are more difficult to identify, unless the variety is indicated on the package. It also looks like dehydration decreases ascorbic acid and carotenoids, which would impact the nutritional contents, and likely, how the flavor is perceived.
Personally, I think of them as two different products.
Michael Mior
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moscafj
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4Fresh chillis also have substance. They can be bitten into, or picked around. The heat and flavour is less evenly distributed in the dish. – OrangeDog Nov 29 '19 at 11:54
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3I've dried home-grown chillies. The volatiles given off during drying are sufficient in quantity and pungency that I recommend drying them outdoors with the wind blowing away from your neighbours – Chris H Nov 29 '19 at 22:36
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Fresh chili contains vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in very large quantities; this is very fragile and destroyed by cooking and storage, so dried chili will contain much less.
pjc50
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9That raises the question whether there's any difference between fresh and dried chilies _after cooking them_. – leftaroundabout Nov 29 '19 at 11:23