Carotenoid profile and basic structural indicators of native Peruvian chili peppers

The cognition of original qualitative attributes of native Peruvian chili peppers elucidate their potential industrial exploitation. There is a lack of scientific information about chili pepper physicochemical and nutritional attributes, that hampers their immediate industrial use. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to characterize twenty Peruvian chili pepper landraces in terms of structural and nutritional properties. In particular, the Bostwick consistency index of chili purées, dry matter, dietary fibers and pectin content were determined. In addition, the color and carotenoid profile of each landrace were studied. A wide range of consistency and stability were found, and partially explained by the dry matter, dietary fiber and pectin content. C. annuum landraces displayed the highest dry matter and fiber content. Moreover, different carotenoid profiles were observed, being β-carotene the most abundant in almost all the samples. Capsanthin was present only in red landraces, while yellow ones had low total carotenoid content. High Retinol Activity Equivalent levels were determined for red peppers, while high insoluble dietary fiber level was found in all the samples. Cluster analysis, including all the chili pepper attributes, showed no relation between taxonomical classification and chili peppers structural, sensorial, and nutritional characteristics. Unique features of studied chili pepper landraces presented in this work should be considered during their industrial processing. In this context, these results might be considered a starting point for processing design and for the proper valorization of this raw material.status: publishe