Pepper, a variety of the Capsicum annuum L. species, is an annual plant belonging to the Solanaceae family.

It is one of the vegetables with the highest content of Vitamin C: 125mg per 100 grams of product.

Fresh pepper contains phenols, flavonoids, capsaicinoids, ascorbic acid, all components that exert an antioxidant activity. In the treated pepper there are fewer phytochemical components and the antioxidant activity is lower (1). Cooking the pepper subtracts at least 60% of vitamin C.

Capsaicin is the alkaloid that gives the pepper its spicy taste, it is a component with antioxidant properties.

An extract from the leaves of pepper significantly inhibited inflammatory cytokine production, inhibited cell proliferation without producing cytotoxicity, and suppressed the expression of inflammatory proteins (2).

Among the polyphenols present, caffeic acid, quercetin and kaempferol have the highest amounts and have shown antimicrobial activity (3).

Bell peppers studies

References_____________________________________

(1) Antioxidant activity of fresh and processed Jalapeño and Serrano peppers.  Alvarez-Parrilla E, de la Rosa LA, Amarowicz R, Shahidi F.  J Agric Food Chem. 2011 Jan 12;59(1):163-73. doi: 10.1021/jf103434u.

(2) Anti-inflammatory effects of water extract from bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L. var. grossum) leaves in vitro.  Hazekawa M, Hideshima Y, Ono K, Nishinakagawa T, Kawakubo-Yasukochi T, Takatani-Nakase T, Nakashima M.  Exp Ther Med. 2017 Nov;14(5):4349-4355. doi: 10.3892/etm.2017.5106.

(3) Antimicrobial Activity of Selected Polyphenols and Capsaicinoids Identified in Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) and Their Possible Mode of Interaction.  Mokhtar M, Ginestra G, Youcefi F, Filocamo A, Bisignano C, Riazi A.  Curr Microbiol. 2017 Nov;74(11):1253-1260. doi: 10.1007/s00284-017-1310-2.