Capsicum Annuum Fruit Research Articles

Oviposition-stimulating activity of (E)-capsaicin identified in Capsicum annuum fruit and related compounds towards Helicoverpa assulta (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

The oviposition-stimulating activity of (E)-capsaicin identified in the fruits of red pepper, Capsicum annuum L. (Solanaceae), towards the oriental tobacco budworm, Helicoverpa assulta (Guenee), was examined in the laboratory by using choice and no-choice bioassays. Results were compared with those of the commercially available capsanthin and dihydrocapsaicin, another known constituents of C. annuum fruit, and (Z)-capsaicin. In no-choice oviposition bioassays at 10.5 μg/cm2, (E)-capsaicin was the most active oviposition stimulant. Weak stimulatory activity was observed with capsanthin, (Z)-capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin. In choice oviposition bioassays at 2.6 μg/cm2, there were significant differences in oviposition-stimulating activity between (E)-capsaicin and each of the other three alkaloids. Structure-activity relationships indicate that the presence of double bond and its trans configuration appeared to play a crucial role in the oviposition-stimulating activity. On the basis of our results, (E)-capsaicin acts as a contact oviposition stimulant of female H. assulta.

High ß-carotene and Capsaicinoid Contents in Seedless Fruits of `Shishitoh' Pepper

In order to evaluate the advantages of parthenocarpy in the breeding of Capsicum, we investigated the percentage of fruit set after emasculation or excision of styles, fruit size, and amounts of ß-carotene, capsaicinoids, and ascorbic acids of the seedless fruits of Capsicum annuum L. `Shishiroh' no. 562. Seedless fruits were induced from ≈80% of flower buds after emasculation or excision of styles. The levels of ß-carotene (44.07 μg·g-1), capsaicin (1.73 mg·g-1), and dihydrocapsaicin (1.12 mg·g-1) of mature seedless fruits were 10 times higher than those of seeded fruits. The amount of ascorbic acid, however, was at the same level (≈230 mg/100 g). The length of the seedless fruit was ≈50% smaller than that of the seeded fruit at 2 weeks after the flowering and decreased to 44% at mature stage.

Purification and characterization of complement-activating acidic polysaccharides from the fruits of Capsicum annuum.

Hot water-soluble crude polysaccharide (HCAP-0) that was obtained from the fruits of Capsicum annuum showed potent anti-complementary activity. The activity was unchanged by pronase digestion, but decreased by periodate oxidation. The HCAP-0 was fractionated by DEAE ion-exchange chromatography to give two major fractions, HCAP-II and III. These two fractions were finally purified by gel filtration to give HCAP-IIa, HCAPIIIa1, and IIIa2 fractions that had high anti-complementary activities. The HCAP-IIIa1 and IIIa2 consisted of homogeneous polysaccharides. The anti-complementary activities were unaffected by treatment with polymyxin B, indicating that the modes of complement activation were not due to preexisting lipopolysaccharide. The molecular weight and sugar content of HCAP-IIIa2 had potent anti-complementary activity. The highest yields were 55 kDa and 75.9%, and the molar ratio of galactose (Ara:Gal, 1.0:4.6) was higher than other sugars. The crossed immuno-electrophoresis showed that both classical and alternative pathways were activated by HCAP-IIIa2.

Molecular cloning and sequence analysis of a cDNA encoding ornithine decarboxylase cDNA from chilli (Capsicum annuum).

Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is an enzyme of one of the two pathways of putrescine biosynthesis in plants. The genes encoding ODC have previously been cloned from Datura stramonium and human. Using differential screening, we isolated ODC cDNA clone from a cDNA library of ripening Capsicum annuum fruit. The cDNA clone designated CUKM10 contains an insert of 1523 bp. The longest open reading frame potentially encodes a peptide of 345 amino acids with an estimated molecular mass of 47 kDa and exhibit striking similarity to other ODCs. Expression analysis showed that the capODC hybridised to a single transcript with a size of 1.7 kb. The capODC transcript was first observed in early ripening and increased steadily until it reached fully ripening stage. From the observation it is suggested that capODC is developmentally regulated especially during later stage of ripening.

Note. Effect of Blanching and Frozen Storage on the Stability of B-Carotene and Capsanthin in Red Pepper (Capsicum Annuum) Fruit

Note. Effect of Blanching and Frozen Storage on the Stability of B-Carotene and Capsanthin in Red Pepper (Capsicum Annuum) Fruit

Note. Effect of Blanching and Frozen Storage on the Stability of β-Carotene and Capsanthin in Red Pepper (Capsicum Annuum) Fruit

The effect of blanching and frozen storage on the stability of pigments β-carotene and capsanthin in three cultivars of red pepper (Capsicum annuum) fruits was elucidated by the determination of pigments in samples treated by various blanching procedures. Pigment concentration was performed after different storage times by HPLC. The dependence of the concentration of pigments on the conditions of blanching and the storage time was assessed by stepwise regression analysis, and the similarities and dissimilarities among the cultivars and decomposition rates were calculated by principal component analysis. The stability of pigments depended significantly on the conditions of blanching, the storage time and the type of cultivar, the effect of storage time was higher than that of blanching conditions. The significant differences between the decomposition rate of pigments in various cultivars emphasizes the predominant importance of the selection of cultivars with advantageous storage characteristics.

A thaumatin-like gene in nonclimacteric pepper fruits used as molecular marker in probing disease resistance, ripening, and sugar accumulation.

During pepper (Capsicum annuum) fruit ripening, the ripe fruit interaction with the anthracnose fungus, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, is generally incompatible. However, the unripe fruit can interact compatibly with the fungus. A gene, designated PepTLP (for pepper thaumatin-like protein), was isolated and characterized by using mRNA differential display. The PepTLP gene encodes a protein homologous to other thaumatin-like proteins and contains 16 conserved cysteine residues and the consensus pattern of thaumatin. PepTLP gene expression is developmentally regulated during ripening. The accumulation of PepTLP mRNA and PepTLP protein in the incompatible interaction was higher than that in the compatible one. Furthermore, PepTLP gene expression was stimulated by both jasmonic acid treatment and wounding during ripening, but by wounding only in the unripe fruit. Immunolocalization studies showed that it is localized to the intercellular spaces among cortical cells. The expression of the PepTLP gene upon fungal infection was a rise from the early-breaker fruit. The development of anthracnose became significantly prevented with beginning of fruit ripening, and the sum total of sugar accumulation increased. The results suggest that the PepTLP gene can be used as a molecular marker in probing for disease resistance, ripening, and sugar accumulation in nonclimacteric pepper fruits.

Cancer chemopreventive activity of carotenoids in the fruits of red paprika Capsicum annuum L.

Capsanthin (1) and related carotenoids (2–7) isolated from the fruits of red paprika Capsicum annuum L. showed potent in vitro anti-tumor-promoting activity with inhibitory effects on Epstein–Barr virus early antigen (EBV-EA) activation induced by the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). Among them, capsanthin diester (3) and capsorbin diester (5) showed strong inhibitory effects. Furthermore, capsanthin (1), capsanthin 3′-ester (2) and capsanthin 3,3′-diester (3), major carotenoids in paprika, exhibited potent anti-tumor-promoting activity in an in vivo mouse skin two-stage carcinogenesis assay using 7, 12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene as an initiator and TPA as a promoter.

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and antioxidant activities of lipophilic fraction of fresh pepper fruits Capsicum annum L.

Capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin content, their antioxidant activity, the activity of the fraction containing flavonoids, as well as the activity of l-phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) were studied in the fruit of the hot pepper Capsicum annuum L., var. Cyklon and Bronowicka Ostra. For analyses, pericarps of fruit at two stages were used: before the beginning of maturation — green; and mature — red. The fruit of the cv. Bronowicka Ostra was characterized by a higher PAL activity, capsaicinoid level and higher antioxidant activity than that found in Cyklon. It was found that red fruit of both cultivars had higher antioxidant activity in the capsaicinoid and flavonoid fractions. The PAL activity was as much higher in the red than in the green (unripe) fruits. The antioxidant activity under the same experimental conditions was similar in both capsaicinoid and flavonoid fractions of cv. Bronowicka Ostra.

Capsanthone 3,6-epoxide, a new carotenoid from the fruits of the red paprika Capsicum annuum L.

The structure of a new carotenoid, isolated from the fruits of the red tomato-shaped paprika Capsicum annuum L., was elucidated to be (3S,5R,6S,5'R)-3,6-epoxy-5,6-dihydro-5-hydroxy-beta,kappa-carotene-3',6'-dione by spectroscopic analyses, including fast atom bombardment collision-induced dissociation-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (FAB CID-MS/MS) and was designated capsanthone 3,6-epoxide. Capsanthone 3,6-epoxide is assumed to be an oxidative metabolite of capsanthin 3,6-epoxide in paprika.

Isolation of a series of apocarotenoids from the fruits of the red paprika Capsicum annuum L.

Eleven apocarotenoids (1-11) including five new compounds, 4, 6, 9, 10 and 11, were isolated from the fruits of the red paprika Capsicum annuum L. The structures of new apocarotenoids were determined to be apo-14'-zeaxanthinal (4), apo-13-zeaxanthinone (6), apo-12'-capsorubinal (9), apo-8'-capsorubinal (10), and 9,9'-diapo-10,9'-retro-carotene-9,9'-dione (11) by spectroscopic analysis. The other six known apocarotenoids were identified to be apo-8'-zeaxanthinal (1), apo-10'-zeaxanthinal (2), apo-12'-zeaxanthinal (3), apo-15-zeaxanthinal (5), apo-11-zeaxanthinal (7), and apo-9-zeaxanthinone (8) which have not been previously found in paprika. These apocarotenoids were assumed to be oxidative cleavage products of C(40) carotenoid such as capsanthin in paprika.

Botrytis cinerea induces the formation of free radicals in fruits of Capsicum annuum at positions remote from the site of infection.

Free radical adducts of the spin trap alpha-(4-pyridyl-1-oxide)-N-tert-butylnitrone have been observed by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy in detached fruits of Capsicum annuum investigated 5 days after infection with Botrytis cinerea. The spectra of these adducts were at a maximum within the soft rot lesion, but they could also be detected at distances up to 50 mm from the edge of the lesion in samples following main vascular bundles. At distances greater than 40 mm, the spectrum of the ascorbate radical was also seen, and at greater distances from the lesion it was the only radical detected. With samples taken from parenchyma tissue adjacent to the vascular bundles there was little adduct formation and the ascorbate radical could be detected, albeit with reduced intensity compared to healthy tissue, at distances as small as 10 mm from the edge of the lesion. This observation of chemical changes at considerable distances from the infected tissue is in contrast to previous observations on the behaviour of other markers of oxidative stress (e.g., 4-hydroxynonenal, malondialdehyde, single-peak free radical, and Fe(III) (g = 4.27) electron paramagnetic resonance signals), where their levels decreased rapidly outside of the soft rot.

DISEASE NOTES OR NEW RECORDS: First report of Nectria haematococca fruit and stem rot of Capsicum annuum in New Zealand

Capsicum fruit and stem rots in a New Zealand glasshouse crop were found to be caused by Nectria haematococca Berk. & Broome [anamorph Fusarium solani (Mart.) Sacc.]. Symptoms were associated with picking wounds and leaf drop.

Extraction and determination of capsaicinoids in fruit of hot pepper Capsicum annuum L. by spectrophotometry and high-performance liquid chromatography

The simple spectrophotometric method of determination of capsaicinoids in fresh fruit of hot pepper and the HPLC method were compared. Capsaicinoids were extracted from hot pepper fruit with the petroleum ether:acetone mixture, and then separated using thin layer chromatography on silica gel and evaluated quantitatively using the HPLC method and spectrophotometrically. The high correlation factor obtained for these methods (0.93) proved that either method can be used for determining the total of capsaicinoids in fresh and powdered hot pepper fruits isolated by the TLC method and that both can be successfully used in laboratories that are not so well equipped.

Formation of volatile compounds during heating of spice paprika (Capsicum annuum) powder.

Spice paprika (red pepper; Capsicum annuum) is the most cultivated spice worldwide and is used mainly for its color and pungency. However, current research is also focusing on the flavor as an important parameter. This paper deals with the kinetics of the formation of those volatiles that indicate a decrease in spice paprika quality due to Maillard reaction, hydrolytic reactions, and oxidative degradation reactions of lipids such as fatty acids and carotenoids. Spice paprika volatiles were quantitatively analyzed by means of headspace gas chromatography (HS-GC) and solid-phase microextraction (SPME) followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The kinetics of their formation were investigated, and the respective activation energies determined. Strecker aldehyde, acetone, and methanol formation followed a pseudo-zero-order reaction kinetic, and formation of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) was characterized by a first-order kinetic. The activation energies determined were between 86.3 and 101.8 for the Strecker aldehydes acetaldehyde (AA), 2-methylpropanal (2-MP), 3-methylbutanal (3-MB), and 2-methylbutanal (2-MB), 130.7 for acetone, 114.2 for methanol, and 109.7 kJ/mol for DMS. The amounts of Strecker aldehydes formed were correlated to the concentrations of the corresponding free amino acids present in the samples. The formation of hexanal and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one in Capsicum annuum during processing was confirmed, and the formation of beta-ionone was probably described for the first time. During heating, the concentration of hexanal increased rapidly. The formation of 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one confirms that Capsicum annuum fruits contain lycopene.

Permeance to oxygen of detached Capsicum annuum fruit

The internal oxygen concentration and rate of oxygen consumption of detached capsicum fruits (Capsicum annuum L.) were monitored over several days. From this their overall permeance to oxygen was calculated. When wax was applied to the pedicel and its scar, permeance was reduced by 80–90%, indicating that most gas exchange occurred through this area. Readings from O2 sensors attached to the skins of the fruits were compared to those from O2 sensors inserted into the fruit cavity. These indicated that the cuticle was the major barrier to gas diffusion and that there was a concentration gradient through the capsicum flesh. Permeance of the cuticle was found to be about 0.64 x 10–4 mol O2/Pa.m2.s, while permeance to CO2 was 2–3 times higher. This suggests that the cuticle is composed of a coherent film. The low rate of gas diffusion through capsicum cuticle may allow recycling of respired CO2 by photosynthesis in the flesh before harvest.

Direct connection of supercritical fluid extraction and supercritical fluid chromatography as a rapid quantitative method for capsaicinoids in placentas of Capsicum.

The fruits of Capsicum annuum L. are used worldwide as chili peppers and in folk medicines. The pungent components of C. annuum, which are irritants, are called capsaicinoids (CAPS), and the most abundant components are capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin, and nordihydrocapsaicin. To analyze CAPS in the placentas of Capsicum fruits rapidly and safely, we used a directly connected system of supercritical fluid extraction and supercritical fluid chromatography (SFE/SFC). As a column for SFE/SFC, only a silica-type column was found to be suitable. The CAPS contents in placentas of C. annuum cv. Jalapeno (hot type) and C. annuum cv. Shishitoh (less-hot type) determined by the SFE/SFC method agreed well with those in the range of 0-13.81 mg g(-1) fr. wt determined by the usual extraction-HPLC method. The SFE/SFC method has the advantages of no need for pretreatment and no (or minimal) need for organic solvents. We conclude that this method is useful as a rapid (20 min) and safe screening test for the pungency of various Capsicum fruits.

Lognormal distribution of water permeability and organic solute mobility in plant cuticles

ABSTRACTIt is shown that water permeabilities and organic solute mobilities in plant cuticles have a lognormal distribution. Seven‐hundred and fifty values for rate constants of desorption (∼mobility) of 2,4‐D from isolated Citrus aurantium L. cuticles from a population of leaves were pooled and analysed. A histogram of the rate constants of individual cuticles showed a skew distribution with a strong tail to higher values. Cuticular membranes with high values did not differ from others in visual appearance and were not leaky. After log‐transformation of original data an almost perfect normal distribution was obtained. Statistical tests showed that a normal distribution of original values is not acceptable. Inspection of older data for water permeability in the same species and experiments using large samples of cuticles from leaves of Pyrus communis L. and Stephanotis floribunda Brongn. and from fruits of Capsicum annuum L. showed a similar distribution, as did inspection of data for experiments with organic solutes. A lognormal distribution was found for cuticles of plants from growth chambers, glasshouses and outdoors as well as for water permeability of intact leaves of Hedera helix L. For small samples the overestimation from using the arithmetic mean of original data can be high, but use of the geometric mean or the median leads to smaller deviations. Removing cuticular waxes from cuticles produced normally distributed samples. A normal distribution was also obtained when organic compounds which increase solute mobility were sorbed into cuticles.

Post-harvest biochemical changes associated with the softening phenomenon in Capsicum annuum fruits

Changes in the activities of various cell-wall hydrolases were followed during ripening of bell pepper ( Capsicum annum). The activity of polygalacturonase (PG) increased, while that of pectin methyl esterase (PME) decreased. The texture of the fruit declined concomitantly with the increase in PG activity. The behaviour of the glycanases, namely cellulase, xylanase, mannanase, glucanase and galactanase, and glycosidases, like α- d-mannosidase and β- d-galactosidase, were monitored. The influence of low storage temperature (8°) on the enzyme activities was studied in which PG, PME, cellulase, mannosidase and galactosidase were suppressed to different levels. Sugar composition of the alcohol-insoluble carbohydrate residue was also analyzed during ripening. Galactose (10%) was the major sugar followed by arabinose (4.2%). The amount of the neutral sugar which was initially 25% decreased to 15% during ripening, resulting in a nearly 40% loss; the changes mainly involved reduction in galactosyl and arabinosyl residues.

Lipoxygenase activity during pepper ripening and processing of paprika

The crude enzymatic extract obtained directly by trituration of the fruits of Capsicum annuum in phosphate buffer followed by filtration was shown to be suitable for the measurement of lipoxygenase activity. The use of Triton X-100 did not improve extraction and the use of DTT to protect the enzyme against oxidizers was not necessary. The optimum pH was 7 for the extraction and 6.5 for measurement of activity. The number of previous harvests from the plant had a marked effect on the levels of lipoxygenase activity during ripening of the fruits from two varieties of pepper. During drying, there was a progressive loss of activity in both varieties.