Abstract
The aim of the current research was to investigate and compare the total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity of sweet pepper cultivars at different development and maturation stages, in order to optimize the beneficial effects. For that purpose, three important sweet pepper cultivars, namely Dolmy-F1, Yahoo-F1 and Florinis-NS-700, were cultivated in a greenhouse. Their total phenolic content, ascorbic acid content and antioxidant properties were assessed at different development and maturation stages. In the aforementioned cultivars, the total phenolic content ranged from 345.2 to 602.1, 404.9 to 794.5, and 795.7 to 2220.3 μg GAE g−1 FW respectively. The ascorbic acid content ranged from 236 to 957, 258 to 1157, and 410 to 1550 μg AA g−1 FW respectively. The highest antioxidant activity was noted at the red maturity stage. Particularly the cultivar Florinis NS 700 was found to possess higher total phenolic, flavonoid phenol, non-flavonoid phenol, ascorbic acid contents, and greater antioxidant capacity, compared to the other cultivars. The results of our study recommend the consumption of the sweet peppers at red maturity stage, for achieving the maximum health-beneficial effects.
Highlights
Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is used as food and as spice due to its dietary and nutritional value
The objective of the present study is to investigate and compare the polyphenols content, the vitamin C content, and the antioxidant capacity of sweet pepper cultivars grown in Greece, at different development and maturation stages for optimizing their beneficial effects for human health
The pH at (1:5) soil/water extract was 7.70, while the Electrical Conductivity (EC) measured in the same extract was 0.52 dS m−1, organic matter and CaCO3 soil content was 2.31 % and 4.20 %, respectively
Summary
Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is used as food and as spice due to its dietary and nutritional value. The oxidative destruction of the biomolecules can be protected, both with endogenous and dietary antioxidants [8,9,10,11]. Phenolic compounds are synthesized by plants during their adaptation to various biotic and abiotic stresses. Some of these compounds (secondary metabolites) contribute to shaping of the taste and color of fruits and plants, while others protect the plants from the herbivores and the pathogenic microbes [12,13,14]. Phenolic compounds are powerful antioxidants, which can protect the human organism from free radicals [15, 16]. Phenolic compounds cannot be produced by the human organism and are taken in mainly through the diet. Epidemiological investigations demonstrate that the intake of polyphenols with food reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and other diseases [19, 20]
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