Abstract
The aim of the present work was to determine differences in <i>C</i> and <i>O</i> glycosides of flavonoids, derivatives of phenolic acids, as well as capsaicinoid content in two semi-hot pepper cultivars, cv. Tornado and Tajfun. Fruits were harvested at the green and red maturity stages. Flavonoid and capsaicinoid fractions were isolated on Sep-Pak C18 cartridges with 40% and 70% methanol-water solutions, respectively. The chemical composition of both fractions was determined by HPLC method using standards of phenolic compounds obtained in the earlier work and the capsaicin standard. The flavonoid fraction contained glucose esters of phenolic acid, mainly ferulic and sinapic acid, as well as derivatives of flavonoids, quercetin, luteolin and apigenin, which occurred as <i>O</i>- and <i>C</i>- glycosides with glucose, rhamnose, and apiose. The capsaicinoid fraction contained mainly capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin. It was found that in green fruits flavonoid <i>O</i>-glycosides were the predominant phenolics, while in red ones derivatives of phenolic acids. A higher loss of <i>O</i>-glycosides of flavonoids than of <i>C</i>-glycosides was observed during the maturation of the fruit of semi-hot pepper cultivars.
Highlights
In the recent decades, we can observe the great interest of scientists in the influence of food intake on human health
The chemical composition of flavonoids with phenolic acid fractions was determined by highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method (Fig. 1)
It was found that luteolin derivatives were the main flavonoid in pepper fruit of both semi-hot cultivars (Table 1)
Summary
We can observe the great interest of scientists in the influence of food intake on human health. It has been found that diet rich in fruit and vegetables decreases the risk of cardiovascular and neoplastic diseases and delays the aging processes (Rowland , 1999). This is defined by the term “functional food” applied to food that has a good influence on human health, and “nutriceuticals” used for dietary compounds that promote health. Many food components are recognized as nutriceuticals, among them vitamins, carotenoids, and phenolic compounds (F a h s and Faucher , 2002). Pepper fruits are very popular due to their health-promoting properties associated with their high content of vitamins C and E that are present in high concentration in various pepper types (Howard et al 2000; Marin et al 2004). The second group of biologically active compounds of pepper are carotenoids, among them E-carotene and E-cryptoxanthin with provitamin A activity (Hornero - Mendez et al 2000; Minguez - Mosquera et al 2000)
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