This study aimed to determine the effect of two mycorrhizal fungi,
Funneliformis mosseae (Fm) and Rhizophagus intraradices (Ri), on
capsaicinoid production in Capsicum annuum L. by gas chromatography-mass
spectrometry (GC-MS) via two different extraction approaches, magnetic
stirring and ultrasound-assisted extraction with three different solvents,
ethanol (EtOH), ethyl acetate (EtAce), and acetonitrile (AceN). The effect
of mycorrhizal fungi on some physiological properties and biochemical
activity, the content of total phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity
were also investigated. For all investigated parameters, the plants
inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi showed significantly higher values than
the non-mycorrhizal control plants, except for malondialdehyde (MDA), which
was an indicator of lipid peroxidation due to damage that occurred in the
cell membrane. It was concluded that inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi
increased both capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin production up to 4-fold in C.
annuum compared to the control. Results also indicated that
ultrasoundassisted extraction with EtAce was the most effective method for
the determination of capsaicin by GCMS.