Fruits of Capsicum species (peppers) accumulate high amounts of ascorbic acid or vitamin C. C. chinense occurs in the Midwest and Northeast regions and the Amazon Basin (where its greatest genetic diversity is found). The objective of the present work was to quantify the vitamin C content in peppers of 22 accessions of C. chinense 'Habanero' from the Breeding Program of Embrapa Vegetable Crops. Vitamin C was extracted from mature fruits with TCEP-HCl (tris 2-carboxyethyl-phosphine hydrocloride) and its content determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Vitamin C content ranged from 54.1 to 129.8 mg/100 g. Accessions were divided into four heterogeneous groups of diversity. Vitamin C content of the first group varied between 116.2 and 129.8 mg/100 g; the second group ranged from 94.0 to 104.6 mg/100 g; the third group ranged from 76.7 to 87.5 mg/100 g; and the fourth group ranged from 54.1 to 66.6 mg/100 g. These results highlight the diversity of C. chinense collection in terms of vitamin C content.

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Aspergillus flavus produces carcinogenic aflatoxins. This species is divided based on the type of sclerotia produced, designated as "S" for numerous small and "L" for fewer and large. "L" strains are concerning since they are prevalent in corn, peanut, rice, and soil samples. Nearly all "S" strains and approximately 70% of "L" strains produce aflatoxins. Host specificity within isolates is not well understood and needs to be better characterized. We isolated A. flavus from commercial peanut samples from Southern Brazil and investigated their genetic variability and their genetic correlation with four A. flavus isolates previously obtained from commercial bulgur wheat in the same region. We also evaluated the antifungal activity of essential oils on some of the isolates. Eleven "L" type A. flavus strains were isolated from peanut kernels. Eight of these isolates were considered aflatoxigenic, based on thin-layer chromatography and culture techniques. The genetic biodiversity of the A. flavus isolates was analyzed using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) analyses, which indicated differences according to host, however, did not regarding aflatoxin production. Essential oils of oregano, thyme, cinnamon, lavender, and fennel inhibited the isolate's growth. In conclusion, A. flavus isolates differ according to host and essential oils have potential to control this fungus. ©FUNPEC-RP www.funpecrp.com.br Genetics and Molecular Research 20 (2): gmr18787 K.L. dos Reis et al. 2