NUTRITIONAL PROFILE, MINERAL CONTENT AND IN VITRO ANTIOXIDANT POTENCY OF CAPSICUM ANNUM L. CULTIVATED IN 24 PARGANAS [SOUTH], WEST BENGAL, INDIA

Objective: Capsicum annum L. is a well-known spice and has long been used in Chinese traditional medicine for the treatment of various ailments. So, the present study was aimed to analyse its nutritional profile and free radical scavenging activity.Methods: The green Capsicum annum L. cultivated in 24 Parganas [South], West Bengal, were studied for the quantitative analysis of proximate composition, mineral and vitamin content. Aqueous and hydroethanolic extracts were screened on a comparative basis for the presence of in vitro antioxidant potential including the total phenol and flavonoid content, along with ferric reducing power, and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydroxyl and superoxide radical scavenging activity.Results: The sample was found to contain 89.89% total carbohydrate, 13.48% soluble carbohydrate, 7.95% crude protein, 4.80% fat, 12.9% fibre, 95.42% moisture and 5.12% ash. Besides, the vegetable was also found to be abundant in vitamins and minerals like, sodium (24.4), iron (4.834), zinc (1.632), magnesium (92.612), manganese (0.88), calcium (19.562), copper (1.11), cobalt (0.02), chromium (0.016), boron (0.316), lycopene (2.4) and β-carotene (14.85) expressed in mg/100 g; and potassium (2.236), vitamin C (1.77), vitamin E (6.08), all expressed in g/100 g dry weight of the sample. The free radical scavenging activity, total phenol and flavonoid content of the aqueous extract were significantly higher than the hydroethanolic extract (p<0.05).Conclusion: It can thus be concluded that capsicum is a nutritionally rich spice and a potential source for antioxidant. The aqueous extract is more potent than the hydro-ethanolic extract in scavenging free radical.Â