Stability of carotenoids, carotenoid esters, tocopherols and capsaicinoids in new chili pepper hybrids during natural and thermal drying

• Published in: Food science & technology 2022-06, Vol.163, p.113520, Article 113520
• Main Authors: Souza, Clarice Se, Daood, Hussein.G., Duah, Stella Agyemang, Vinogradov, Sergey, Palotás, Gábor, Neményi, András, Helyes, Lajos, Pék, Zoltán
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0023-6438; 1096-1127
• DOI: 10.1016/j.lwt.2022.113520

In the fields of human nutrition and the food industry, the various products of the spice red chili pepper have sparked increased attention. The purpose of this study was to determine the quantity and stability of carotenoids, carotenoid esters, tocopherols, and capsaicinoids in new spice chili hybrids under traditional drying utilizing cutting-edge analytical techniques. In both fresh and conventionally dried goods, the quantities and stability of bioactive components vary significantly between the hybrids. The highly pungent cultivar Unijol, which dispersed capsaicinoids 7–9 times more than the other cultivars, had the highest retention of carotenoids (76–138) upon drying. The levels of carotenoids discovered in naturally dried samples were larger in all cultivars than those found in raw materials, indicating continuous over-ripeness processes during long-term drying. Tocopherol stability was ranked Unijol > Hetényi > Unikal, with retention rates of 82–93, 72–79, and 63–73 percent, respectively. The genotypes differed not only in capsaicinoids content, but also in the ratio of capsanthin to dihydrocapsanthin, as well as in their stability during natural and thermal drying, with Unijol being the most stable and Hetényi being the least, with maximal retention of 71–92 percent and 58–86 percent, respectively. •Phytochemicals of new chili hybrids were characterized by recent HPLC, HPLC-MS/MS methods.•Genotype and drying conditions impact on response and stability of phytochemicals in spice chili peppers.•Correlation was observed between pungency and stability of phytochemicals during drying.