Comparative analysis of fatty acid profiles, phytochemical and mineral contents of pepper spice types in Türkiye Türkiye’deki biber baharat tiplerinin yağ asidi profilleri, fitokimyasal ve mineral madde içeriklerinin karşılaştırmalı analizi

Peppers are significant crops frequently used in cooking or as spice. Numerous phytochemicals, including capsaicinoids, phenolics, and carotenoids are found in peppers. Capsaicinoids are responsible for the distinctively pungent flavor. A comparative study of the proximate, mineral, fatty acid composition, and phytochemical components of 15 types of pepper spices (1 Isot Pepper Flake, 4 Chili Powders, and 10 Chili Pepper Flakes) were investigated. Analysis of the proximate composition included moisture content (6.54-19.49%), ash content (6.53-22.48%) and acid insoluble ash content (0.41-1.12%). Total phenolic content ranged from 9.72 to 20.05 mg GAE g-1. The lowest and highest capsaicinoid content were found in S15 (10247.6 Scoville Heat Unit (SHU)) and S9 (38861.7 SHU) samples, respectively. Total carotenoid content ranged from 739.8–1941.7 mg kg-1. Phytochemical analyses revealed that these spices are high in phytonutrients such as carotenoid and capsaicinoid. Mineral elements such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper, iron, manganese, and sodium were also present in the spices, which are essential for human nutrition.