Antioxidant vitamin content of spice red pepper (paprika) as affected by technological and varietal factors

A study was conducted to investigate [by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)] the antioxidant vitamin content of paprika during ripening, processing and storage. The most biologically effective antioxidant vitamins, such as ascorbic acid, tocopherols and carotenoids, were separated, identified and quantitated in different samples. The rate of in vivo synthesis of the three antioxidants increased after onset of the ripening process was induced in the climacteric fruits. As ripeness advanced, antioxidant vitamins tended to increase proportionally except that ascorbic acid reached a maximum level at the colour break-II stage and then declined. During drying and storage there was a dramatic decrease in the concentration of tocopherol and ascorbic acid as a result of active antioxidation performance, while carotenoid content decreased at a lower rate. Application of a forced-air drying technique resulted in a significantly high retention of antioxidant vitamins by dried or ground paprika. The different cultivars showed significant differences in their antioxidant vitamin contents. (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.