Quantification, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of phenolics isolated from different extracts of Capsicum frutescens (Pimenta Malagueta)

Abstract

This paper presents the quantification, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin and the flavonoid chrysoeriol isolated from different extracts (hexane and acetonitrile extracts from whole fruit, peel and seed) of Capsicum frutescens (pimenta malagueta). The acetonitrile extract of the seeds, peel and whole fruits contained capsaicin as a major component, followed in abundance by dihydrocapsaicin and chrysoeriol. The antimicrobial activity of the isolated compounds against seven microorganisms showed chrysoeriol was the most active compound. In the antioxidant test, the acetonitrile extract from the whole fruit showed the highest activity. The antioxidant activity of pimenta malagueta may be correlated with its phenolic content, principally with the most active compound, capsaicin.

Figure 1

Chromatogram (HPLC-DAD) for an acetonitrile extract of C. frutescens whole fruits. Chrysoeriol (1); capsaicin (2); and dihydrocapsaicin (3).

Figure 2

Effects of hexane and acetonitrile extracts of C. frutescens, capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin on DPPH radical (A), ABTS radical; (B) and β-carotene/linoleic acid assay at 60 min; (C). HS: hexane seeds, AS: acetonitrile seeds, HP: hexane peel, AP: acetonitrile peel, HF: hexane whole fruits, AF: acetonitrile whole fruits, DH: dihydrocapsaicin, C: capsaicin, AA: ascorbic acid and T: Trolox. The confidence interval was 95% (p < 0.05).