Vitamin Variation in Capsicum Spp. Provides Opportunities to Improve Nutritional Value of Human Diets

Abstract

Chile peppers, native to the Americas, have spread around the world and have been integrated into the diets of many cultures. Much like their heat content, nutritional content can vary dramatically between different pepper types. In this study, a diverse set of chile pepper types were examined for nutrient content. Some pepper types were found to have high levels of vitamin A, vitamin C, or folate. Correlations between nutrient content, species, cultivation status, or geographic region were limited. Varietal selection or plant breeding offer tools to augment nutrient content in peppers. Integration of nutrient rich pepper types into diets that already include peppers could help combat nutrient deficiencies by providing a significant portion of recommended daily nutrients.

Fig 1. All Peppers explored for nutritional analysis.

1: Bhut Jolokia, 2: Trinidad 7 Pot, 3: Trinidad Butch T Scorpion, 4: Trinidad Douglah, 5: Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, 6: Yellow Bhut Jolokia (Ghost Pepper), 7: Aji Crystal, 8: Jalamundo, 9: Manzano, 10: Corno Di Toro, 11: Banana Sweet, 12: Lilac Bell, 13: Succette de Provence, 14: Thai Red, 15: Ancho, 16: Joe Parker, 17: Big Jim, 18: Sandia, 19: Feher Ozon Paprika, 20: Aconcagua, 21: Santa Fe Grande, 22: 5 Color Marble, 23: Twilight, 24: Naga Dorset, 25: Pasilla, 26: Gold Nugget, 27: Sangria, 28: Peach Habanero, 29: Korean, 30: Chilly Chili, 31: Scotch Bonnet, 32: Espanola, 33: Haiti Cluster, 34: Guajillo, 35: Atomic Starfish, 36: Nepal, 37: Spanish Cayenne, 38: Chinese Giant Sweet, 39: Amish Chicken, 40: Bulgarian, 41: Rocoto Yellow, 42: Shishito, 43: Aji Limon, 44: Sunrise, 45: Mayan Cobanero, 46: Szegedi Giant, 47: Marseilles Sweet Yellow, 48: White Habanero, 49: Tepin, 50: Apple Pimento, 51: Dulcetta Orange, 52: Japones, 53: Joe's Long Cayenne, 54: Tequila Sunrise, 55: Uba Tuba, 56: White Bhut Jolokia, 57: Lady Bug Cherry Bomb, 58: Brown Bhut Jolokia, 59: Orange Trinidad Moruga, 60: Chili De Arbol, 61: Big Bertha, 62: Mustard Habanero, 63: Bahama Fish, 64: Barancio Paprika, 65: India Byadagi Mirchi, 66: Gundo Mirchi, 67: Naga Morich, 68: Yellow Moruga, 69: Ancient Sweet, 70: Bever Dam, 71: Aji Amarillo, 72: Orange Suave, 73: Chinese Ching Choo, 74: Pakistan, 75: Paprika De Cayenne, 76: Sweet Chocolate Bell, 77: Orange Thai, 78: Buran, 79: Zavory Habanero, 80: Pinata, 81: Red Suave, 82: Piquillo, 83: Mulato, 84: Chocolate Habanero, 85: Marconi Gold Sweet Bell, 86: Red Habanero Hot, 87: Red Rocoto, 88: Laotian, 89: Jamaican Yellow, 90: Orange Habanero Hot, 91: Malaysian Goronong, 92: Cajamarca, 93: California Mild, 94: Antilles, 95: Peter Pepper Red, 96: Congo Red, 97: Pumpkin Habanero, 98: Golden Habanero, 99: Assam, 100: Trinidad Perfume, 101: Black Pearl.

Fig 2. Levels of capsaicin (SHU), vitamin A, vitamin C, and folate detected in pepper types.

In the plot, each bar represents a single pepper type in order of the numbering in Fig 1. Each bar represents the average of two biological replicates and the error bars correspond to standard error. The bars are colored based on species and shaded according to status as landrace or cultivar according to the legend. The top plot of capsaicin content is on a log base 10 scale with horizontal lines at 70,000 SHU (red), 20,000 SHU (orange), and 5,000 SHU (green) separating labeled levels on pungency. Recommended daily values (DV) for adults consuming 2,000 calories are plotted and labeled for the three lower plots of pepper nutritional content (FDA, 2011). LSD = 262963 SHU, 1624 vitamin A, 18.7 vitamin C, 94.3 folate.

Fig 3. Comparison of our pepper types to other commonly consumed foods and preparation techniques.

Plotted are the vitamin A (A), vitamin C (B), and folate (C) content for the current data (i), other foods high in each nutrient (ii), and preparation techniques from the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Release 28. Error bars in the current data correspond to standard error.