The effect of arbuscular mycorrhiza on physiological and biochemical parameters and capsaicinoid production in Capsicum annuum L.: A comparative study of extraction methods and solvents

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 ultrasound-assisted extraction with EtAce was the most effective method for the determination of capsaicin by GC-MS.