A μ-QuEChERS method combined with UHPLC-MS/MS for the analysis of phenolic compounds in red pepper varieties

Abstract

In this study, a method based on QuEChERS method miniaturization followed by UHPLC-MS/MS analysis was used for the first time to determine phenolic acids and flavonoids in red pepper (Capsicum spp.). Under the optimized extraction and analysis conditions, fourteen phenolic compounds in eleven varieties of red pepper belonging to four domesticated species, C. baccatum L., C. chinense Jacq., C. frutescens L., and C. annuum L., were evaluated. 4-Hydroxybenzoic, p-coumaric, vanillic and ferulic acids, and naringenin were the phenolic compounds found in all varieties evaluated. Among them, vanillic and ferulic acids and naringenin were found in higher amounts, accounting for 92.2% of the total phenolic compounds quantified in all varieties evaluated. Overall, this study reveals relevant and innovative data about the composition of the phenolic compounds of red peppers, especially for those varieties little or not yet studied, such as “Cambuci,” “Dedo-de-moça,” “Big Red Mama,” “Brazilian Moruga,” “Biquinho,” “Naga Morich,” “Fatalii Gourmet Jigsaw,” and “Bhut Jolokia Assam”, which will boost its potential uses in agro-food, cosmetic and pharma industry, as well as in health promotion. Furthermore, data support that the μ-QuEChERS method was more cost-effective, less time-consuming, and environmentally friendly, constituting a promising trend for phenolic compounds determination in plant matrices.