Changes in Capsiate Content in Four Chili Pepper Genotypes (Capsicum spp.) at Different Ripening Stages

Abstract

Interest in the consumption of the fruits of pepper (Capsicum spp.) is not only due to its organoleptic characteristics, but also due to its bioactive compounds content, which are reported to provide essential benefits to human health. However, the amount and diversity of these compounds in each fruit specimen depend on its genotype and on a number of environmental factors. This work describes the quantitative ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to photodiode-array (UHPLC-PDA) analysis of the capsinoids content in four varieties of pepper (‘Habanero’, ‘Habanero Roxo’, ‘Bode’, and ‘Malagueta’) grown until different development stages in a greenhouse under controlled conditions. In all the varieties analyzed, capsiate was the only capsinoid found. The accumulation of capsiate, in all the pepper varieties, started from the 10th to the 20th day post-anthesis (dpa), and increased during the first days (between the 20th and the 27th dpa). From that moment a drastic reduction took place until the end of the ripening stage, except for ‘Bode’ peppers, where the capsiate content increased from the first harvest point on the 20th dpa up to the 76th dpa. The capsiate accumulation patterns over the development of the fruit has been related to the capsaicionoids accumulation patterns in the same samples of the four varieties of pepper. According to our results, the content evolution of both families of compounds will vary depending on each fruit’s genotype, as well as on environmental conditions. No clear trends have been established and, therefore, an in-depth analysis under controlled conditions should be carried out.

Influence of intra and inter species variation in chilies (Capsicum spp.) on metabolite composition of three fruit segments

“…Chilies are sensitive to environmental factors 9 , which contributes to changes in metabolic composition. These changes have been reported in many studies 4 , 5 , 9 , 10 . All plants in this study were exposed to the same environmental and agricultural factors, which negates the influence of these factors and increases the quality of this study.…”

“…The pungency levels in C. baccatum are between 30,000 SHU and 50,000 SHU 3 . The hottest chili cultivars can be found in the species Capsicum chinense Jacq 4 . High levels of pungency are a characteristic of this species.…”

Agronomic Performance, Capsaicinoids, Polyphenols and Antioxidant Capacity in Genotypes of Habanero Pepper Grown in the Southeast of Coahuila, Mexico

“…Regarding the color characteristics of C. chinense, these present variants that range from orange due to the content of zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin and β-carotene, to an intense red induced by capsanthins and capsorubin [1,45]. However, the fruit color can be affected by different factors, including light availability (which regulates morphological characteristics and acts as an energy source for metabolism and photosynthetic processes), temperature, climatic conditions, genotype, minerals supply, growth conditions, and maturity stage (during the fruit ripening stage, biochemical, physiological and structural changes occur, which determine the characteristics of the final fruit) [12,46].…”

“…In Mexico, there is a regional trend to produce and consume habanero peppers. The main production areas are in the states of Yucatán, Campeche, and Quintana Roo [12]. However, despite the economic, social and cultural importance of the crop, few efforts have been made to improve varieties of habanero peppers to increase the yield and the content of bioactive compounds in the fruits (polyphenols and carotenoids), besides cultivating this crop in other regions of Mexico and in other parts of the world [3].…”

Extraction and Analysis of Natural Product in Plant

“…In this sense, the production of beneficial compounds could be optimized, either by determining the exact moment during the fruit or plant maturation process when the concentration of these compounds is at its maximum level, or by optimizing the methods to provide the plants with the appropriate light, humidity or temperature conditions, for instance, to favor the biosynthesis of the compounds of interest in each particular case. In this sense, Vázquez-Espinosa et al [13] completed a study on the evolution of capsiate contents along the maturation stages of four chili pepper genotypes (Capsicum spp.). The same authors also presented a study of the evolution of capsaicinoids and capsiate throughout the ripening of Naga Jolokia peppers [14].…”