PAK. J. FOOD SCI., 21(1-4), 2011:45-51 ISSN: 2226-5899 Antioxidant Potential of Bell Pepper (Capsicum annum L.)-A Review Muhammad Nadeem*, Faqir Muhammad Anjum, Moazzam Rafiq Khan, Muhammad Saeed, Asad Riaz National Institute of Food Science and Technology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-Pakistan Corresponding Author: mnadeem11@gmail.com Abstract The interests in the consumption of pepper fruits (Capsicum annum L.) is, to a large extent due to its content of bioactive compounds and their importance as dietary antioxidants. Peppers are used as a colourant, flavourant, and/or as a source of pungency. Peppers can be used fresh, dried, fermented, or as an oleoresin extract. It has both nutritional and nutraceutical importance. It contains an anticoagulant that helps prevent the blood clots that can cause heart attacks. Bell Pepper is good source of vitamin C. The benefits resulting from the use of natural products rich in bioactive substances has promoted the growing interest of food industries. Among the antioxidant phytochemicals, polyphenols deserve a special mention due to their free radical scavenging properties. Antioxidant compounds and their antioxidant activity in 4 different colored (green, yellow, orange, and red) sweet bellpeppers (Capsicum annuum L.) were investigated.The free radical scavenging abilities of peppers determined by the 2, 2~-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method. Natural antioxidants are preferred because synthetic antioxidants are considered carcinogenic. Antioxidants present in the (Capsicum annuum L.), protect the food or body from oxidative damage induced by free radicals and reactive oxygen. Key words: Bell Pepper, Capsicum annum, Natural Antioxidants, Health benefits, dietary antioxidants Introduction Capsicum has its beginning since the beginning of civilizations. It is a part of human diet since 7500 BC. It was the ancient ancestors of the native peoples who took the wild chili Piquin and selected for the many various types known today. Native Americans had grown chili plants between 5200 and 3400 BC. This places chilies among the oldest cultivated crops of the Americas (Bosland, 1996). The genus Capsicum is one of the first plants being cultivated in the New World with beans (Phaseolus spp.), maize (Zea mays L.), and cucurbits (Cucurbitaceae) (Heiser, 1973). In the sixteenth century, Capsicum annuum and Capsicum frutescens were widely distributed from the New World to other continents via Spanish and Portuguese traders while the other species are little distributed outside South America (Andrews, 1995). Capsicum annuum is mostly used commercially. Genus Capsicum is a member of family Solanaceae and has five species that are commonly recognized as domesticated: Capsicum annuum, Capsicum baccatum, Capsicum chinense, Capsicum frutescens, and Capsicum pubescens. However there are approximately 20 wild species that have been documented (Heiser, 1973). The classification system for this genus is somewhat confusing in the literature. In Spain, the Castilian word ‘pimiento’ refers to any Capsicum species, but in the USA, ‘pimiento’ or ‘pimento’ refers only to thick-walled, heart-shaped, non-pungent fruits from the species Capsicum annuum. The Hungarians call all Capasicum annuum fruits ‘paprika’, but paprika is defined in the world market as a ground, red powder derived from dried fruits with the desirable colour and flavour qualities. The word ‘chile’ is the common name for any Capsicum species in Mexico, Central America and the Southwestern USA. In Asia, the spelling ‘chilli’ is more common and is always associated with highly pungent varieties of Capsicum annuum and Capsicum frutescens, while the non-pungent sweet bell peppers are referred to as ‘Capsicums’ and it is native to Maxico. In American English, it is commonly known as the Chili Pepper or Bell Pepper. In British English, they are all called Peppers, whereas in Australian and Indian English, there is no commonly used name encompassing all its forms, the name Capsicum being commonly used for bell peppers exclusively. In Pakistan, it is locally known as Shimla Mirch (Grubben and Denton, 2004). Pungent fruits of all cultivated Capsicum species as a collective class are called ‘chillies’ in the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Yearbook (Anon, 1997). Bird’s eye chillies are grown primarily in East Africa, but they are merely small-fruited, highly pungent forms of Capsicum annuum or Capsicum frutescens. Different varieties of the genus Capsicum are widely grown for their fruits, which may be eaten fresh, cooked, as a dried powder, in a sauce, or processed into oleoresin (Poulos, 1993). Three major products traded on the world market for use in food processing are paprika, oleoresin, and dried chilli (both whole and in powdered form).  Oleoresin: A viscous liquid derived by polar solvent extraction from ground powder of any Capsicum species; there are three types of oleoresin: paprika (used for colour), red pepper (used for colour and pungency), and Capsicum (used for pungency).  Paprika: A ground, bright red, usually non-pungent powder used primarily for its colour and flavour in processed foods; all paprika varieties are C. annuum; paprika fruits are used to produce paprika oleoresin. Pakistan Journal of Food Sciences (2011), Volume 21, Issue 1-4, Page(s): 45-51 45