Determination of Phenolic Compounds in Red Sweet Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) using a Modified QuEChERS Method and UHPLC-MS/MS Analysis and Its Relation to Antioxidant Activity

Abstract

In the present work, a fast, easy and efficient analytical method was developed and validated for the determination of phenolic compounds (4-hydroxybenzoic, vanillic, caffeic, p-coumaric, sinapic, ferulic and ellagic acids, and naringenin) in red sweet pepper. Extraction of phenolic compounds was carried out using the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) method, followed by separation and detection using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). When the acetate version of the QuEChERS method was used, higher amounts of the phenolic compounds were extracted. In the dispersive solid phase extraction (d-SPE) clean-up step, combination of 50 mg of octadecylsilane (C18) and 7.5 mg of graphitized carbon black (GCB), resulted in the greatest removal of interferents, especially carotenoids, without significant retention of phenolic compounds. The recoveries for the proposed method were 82-103%, the limits of quantification were 2-150 μg kg-1 , and the precision values expressed in terms of relative standard deviation (RSD) were ≤ 15%. The method developed was successfully applied to the analysis of different red sweet pepper cultivars.

Effect of thermal processing on the bioactive compounds and color parameters of types of three sweet pepper

“…showed some changes compared to results of reports carried out by Blanco-Ríos et al (2013) and Rodrigues et al (2019). However, the differences between cultivars can be significantly affected by environmental factors (Hornero-Méndez et al 2000).…”

CapsicumSeeds as a Source of Bioactive Compounds: Biological Properties, Extraction Systems, and Industrial Application

“…Some of the most prominent non-capsaicinoid phenolic compounds because of their valuable health benefits are phenolic acids like gallic acid, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid or ellagic acid (Figure 2). Flavones are another important group of phenolic compounds, being some of the most prominent kaempferol, quercetin, luteolin or rutin (Figure 3) [26]. These phenolics have demonstrated great health benefits and many of them are commercially available in purified products extracted from other plant species [39,40].…”

“…These phenolics have demonstrated great health benefits and many of them are commercially available in purified products extracted from other plant species [39,40]. Even so, their concentration differs among species but not much among varieties [26]. Other phenolic compounds are reviewed in the next paragraphs as in the case of some carotenoids or vitamins.…”

Vegetable Soups and Creams: Raw Materials, Processing, Health Benefits, and Innovation Trends

“…In general, peppers have a significant contribution to human nutrition due to its carotenes, polyphenols, antioxidant properties, fatty acids (including palmitic (16:0), oleic (18:1n-9), and linoleic (18:2n-6) acids), vitamins (C and E) and mineral substances. The main phenolics compounds found in peppers pulp are ferulic acid (404-2661 µg/kg of fresh weight (fw)), ellagic acid (896–2434 µg/kg fw), synaptic acid (181–2025 µg/kg fw), naringenin (73–968 µg/kg fw), vanillic acid (45–149 µg/kg fw), caffeic acid (38–63 µg/kg fw), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (18–37 µg/kg fw), and p-coumaric acid (14–69 µg/kg fw) [ 24 ]. Other studies show that most flavonoids found in peppers are aglycones and glycosides of myricetin, quercetin, luteolin, apigenin, and kaempferol [ 23 ].…”