Variability for Free Sugars and Organic Acids in Capsicum chinense

• Published in: Chemistry & biodiversity Vol. 6; no. 2; pp. 138 - 145
• Main Authors: Jarret, Robert L, Berke, Terry, Baldwin, Elizabeth A, Antonious, George F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Zürich WILEY-VCH Verlag 01-02-2009; WILEY‐VCH Verlag
• Subjects: ascorbic acid; Ascorbic Acid - analysis; Capsicum - chemistry; Capsicum chinense; Carbohydrates - analysis; chemical constituents of plants; citric acid; cultivars; Flavor; flavor compounds; fructose; Fruit quality; fumaric acid; genotype; glucose; Habanero; landraces; malic acid; mature plants; organic acids and salts; Organic Chemicals - analysis; Pepper fruit; plant extracts; quantitative analysis; rating scales; succinic acid; sucrose; sugar content; South America
• ISSN: 1612-1880; 1612-1872; 1612-1880
• DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.200800046

Variability in the concentrations of the chemical constituents that contribute to fruit flavor in Capsicum chinense is poorly documented in the scientific literature. We surveyed fruit of 216 landraces and cultivated varieties of Capsicum chinense acquired from North, Central, and South America, and analyzed these for concentrations of the simple sugars sucrose, glucose, and fructose, and citric, malic, succinic, fumaric, and ascorbic acids. Concentrations (mg/1oo g Fresh Weight (FW) of whole fruit) of sucrose, glucose, and fructose in fruit of this species ranged from 0.0 to 150, 68 to 701, and 101 to 823, respectively. The total of these sugars (sucrose +glucose +fructose) ranged from 198 to 1543 mg/loo g FW. Concentrations of organic acids ranged from 0.0 (not detected) to 818, 430, 340, and 232 mg/1oo g FW for citric, malic, fumaric, and succinic acids, respectively. However, the relative ranking in the concentrations of the individual acids was genotype-dependent. Total ascorbic-acid values ranged from 30 to 1466 mg/100 g FW. These data serve to document the range in the concentrations of individual sugars and acids present in mature C chinense fruit and suggest that this variability may lend itself to studies involving the synthesis andlor metabolism of compounds associated with fruit flavor.