COMPARATIVE NUTRITIONAL, BIOACTIVE, AND MINERAL PROFILING OF TEN Capsicum CULTIVARS GROWN IN SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

Pepper (Capsicum spp.) is a widely cultivated horticultural crop with high nutritional value and is used across many countries as a condiment, flavouring ingredient, and component of everyday meals. Its importance is therefore not limited to agricultural income; pepper also contributes to dietary diversity through its vitamins, minerals, fibre, and biologically active compounds. In this study, ten pepper types cultivated in Nigeria were evaluated for their nutritional composition and selected bioactive constituents. These include Habanero Yellow and Red, Bawa, Shombo, Popvrind, kaleri, Tartase, Sombo, Sweet Pepper, and Rodo. Analyses were conducted using standard AOAC procedures. The resulting data were intended to provide baseline information for assessing the nutritional characteristics of these locally cultivated pepper types and for supporting future dietary guidance and functional-food research. Significant differences (P≤0.05) were observed among pepper types for moisture, dry matter, carbohydrate, calorific value, vitamin C, capsaicinoids, carotenoids, capsaicinoid:carotenoid ratio, antioxidant nutrient density, and potassium, whereas the differences in ash, fibre, lipid, protein, health benefit index, phenolics, phenolic potency index, iron, and zinc were not significant. Sweet Pepper had the lowest moisture and consequently the highest dry matter (30.63%) and calorific value (113.00 kcal/100 g) of the set, Kaleri, by contrast, was best in for protein (7.94%) and fibre (6.95%). Vitamin C concentration in Sombo (7085 mg/100 g) was best, while capsaicinoid content was best in Habanero Red (5800 mg/L), consistent with the reputation C. chinense has for pungency, and was essentially absent in Sweet Pepper (5 mg/100 g). Carotenoids were highest in Rodo (158 mg/100g) while phenolics varied between 1.52–1.97 mg/100 g. The result further show that Health Benefit Index was best in Kaleri (0.17), whereas Sombo led on Antioxidant Nutrient Density (52.23) while Rodo was the best potassium source (22.12 mg/100 g) and Sweet Pepper the best for zinc (0.60 mg/100 g). Kaleri recorded the highest protein and fibre contents, while Sweet Pepper had the highest carbohydrate and calorific values. Sombo recorded the highest vitamin C concentration, Habanero Red had the highest capsaicinoid concentration, Rodo had the highest carotenoid and potassium concentrations, and Sweet Pepper recorded the highest zinc concentration. These findings demonstrate considerable nutritional and bioactive variation among the evaluated pepper types and provide a basis for further nutritional, processing, and breeding investigations.