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).

From green bell pepper, an extract of pectic polysaccharides showed antineoplastic activity in breast cancer, in vitro and in vivo (4).

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.

(4) Antineoplastic effect of pectic polysaccharides from green sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum) on mammary tumor cells in vivo and in vitro.
Adami ER, Corso CR, Turin-Oliveira NM, Galindo CM, Milani L, Stipp MC, do Nascimento GE, Chequin A, da Silva LM, de Andrade SF, Dittrich RL, Queiroz-Telles JE, Klassen G, Ramos EAS, Cordeiro LMC, Acco A.
Carbohydr Polym. 2018 Dec 1;201:280-292. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.08.071.

In vitro and in silico studies on membrane interactions of diverse Capsicum annuum flower γ-thionin peptides.
Nikte S, Gahankari A, Mulla J, Sengupta D, Joshi M, Tamhane V.
Proteins. 2019 Jul 31. doi: 10.1002/prot.25791.

Comparative Quantitative Study on Phytochemical Contents and Antioxidant Activities of Capsicum annuum L. and Capsicum frutescens L.
Olatunji TL, Afolayan AJ.
ScientificWorldJournal. 2019 Apr 11;2019:4705140. doi: 10.1155/2019/4705140.
Red bell pepper

Pharmacological importance of an ethnobotanical plant: Capsicum annuum L.
Khan FA, Mahmood T, Ali M, Saeed A, Maalik A.
Nat Prod Res. 2014;28(16):1267-74. doi: 10.1080/14786419.2014.895723.

Preliminary investigation on antioxidant interactions between bioactive components of Solanum anguivi and Capsicum annuum.
Daramola B.
J Food Sci Technol. 2018 Sep;55(9):3827-3832. doi: 10.1007/s13197-018-3267-y.

Changes in antioxidant and biochemical activities in castor oil-coated Capsicum annuum L. during postharvest storage.
Panigrahi J, Patel M, Patel N, Gheewala B, Gantait S.
3 Biotech. 2018 Jun;8(6):280. doi: 10.1007/s13205-018-1284-1.

Genetic diversity analysis of selected Capsicum annuum genotypes based on morphophysiological, yield characteristics and their biochemical properties.
Ridzuan R, Rafii MY, Mohammad Yusoff M, Ismail SI, Miah G, Usman M.
J Sci Food Agric. 2019 Jan 15;99(1):269-280. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.9169.

Effect of drying methods (microwave vacuum, freeze, hot air and sun drying) on physical, chemical and nutritional attributes of five pepper (Capsicum annuum var. annuum) cultivars.
Maurya VK, Gothandam KM, Ranjan V, Shakya A, Pareek S.
J Sci Food Agric. 2018 Jul;98(9):3492-3500. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.8868.

Short-term effect of add on bell pepper (Capsicum annuum var. grossum) juice with integrated approach of yoga therapy on blood glucose levels and cardiovascular functions in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A randomized controlled study.
Nagasukeerthi P, Mooventhan A, Manjunath NK.
Complement Ther Med. 2017 Oct;34:42-45. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2017.07.011. Epub 2017 Jul 29. Erratum in: Complement Ther Med. 2018 Apr;37:185.

Safety

Final report on the safety assessment of capsicum annuum extract, capsicum annuum fruit extract, capsicum annuum resin, capsicum annuum fruit powder, capsicum frutescens fruit, capsicum frutescens fruit extract, capsicum frutescens resin, and capsaicin.
Int J Toxicol. 2007;26 Suppl 1:3-106.