ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF PEPPERS (Capsicum annuum L.) EXTRACTS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THEIR PHENOLIC CONSTITUENTS

The aim of this study was to characterize the phenolic constituents and evaluate the antioxidant activity of five pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) cultivars harvested in the same season, geographic area and climatic conditions. Phenols, flavonoids and ascorbic acid of Anaheim, Bell, Caribe, Jalapeno and Serrano peppers were quantified, and antioxidant activity of their extracts were evaluated by the method of radical scavenging of DPPH center dot and ABTS(center dot+). It was found that Serrano pepper had the highest ascorbic acid content, followed by Bell and Caribe, whereas the lowest values were found in Jalapeno and Anaheim. The highest contents of phenolic compounds were in Caribe and Bell peppers. The total flavonoid contents ranged from 25.38 +/- 3.44 (Anaheim) to 60.36 +/- 0.94 mg QE/100g fw (Caribe). The Bell and Caribe extracts showed the highest (p<0.05) stabilization of ABTS(center dot+). The highest oxidation inhibition percentage for radical DPPH center dot was observed in Caribe extract, coinciding with the highest levels of gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, epicatechin, rutin, luteolin, resveratrol (r >= 0.85) and ascorbic acid. In conclusion, among the pepper cultivars studied, Caribe and Bell showed to have the best antioxidant properties and can be suggested as preferable for human consumption.