Antioxidants in Capsicum chinense: Variation among countries of origin |
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| Authors: | George F Antonious Lauren Lobel Tejinder Kochhar Terry Berke Robert L Jarret |
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| Institution: | 1. Land Grant Program, Department of Plant and Soil Science , Kentucky State University , Frankfort, Kentucky, USA;2. Department of Biology , Kentucky State University , Frankfort, Kentucky, USA;3. Seminis Seed Co. , Woodland, California, USA;4. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service , Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit , Griffin, Georgia, USA |
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| Abstract: | The main objective of this investigation was to evaluate fruits of C. chinense accessions for their concentration of β -carotene, ascorbic acid, and phenols for use as parents in breeding for these phytochemicals. Mature fruits of 63 accessions of C. chinense originally acquired from Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, and the United States were analyzed for their chemical composition. Fruits of C. chinense accessions PI-152452 (Brazil) and PI-360726 (Ecuador) contained the greatest concentrations of ascorbic acid (1.2 and 1.1 mg g?1 fresh fruit, respectively), while PI-438648 (Mexico) contained the greatest concentration of total phenols content (349 μ g g?1 fresh fruit) among the other 63 accessions tested. Accession PI-355817 from Ecuador contained the greatest concentrations of β -carotene (8 mg g?1fresh fruit). These accessions were identified as potential candidates for mass production of antioxidants with health-promoting properties. |
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| Keywords: | Phytochemicals β-carotene ascorbic acid capsaicin total phenols |
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