# A comparative study on the nutrient and organic acid profiles of selected pepper genotypes

## TL;DR

This study compares the nutrient and organic acid content of 18 pepper varieties to support breeding efforts for improved cultivars.

## Contribution

The study provides a detailed comparative analysis of nutritional and organic acid profiles across pepper genotypes using PCA and HCA.

## Key findings

- L-malic acid, cis-lactic acid, and succinic acid were the most abundant organic acids in pepper varieties.
- PCA and HCA grouped the 18 pepper varieties into three distinct categories based on their nutritional and organic acid profiles.
- Nutrient levels varied widely, with capsanthin, capsaicin, and dihydrocapsaicin showing significant differences across genotypes.

## Abstract

To comprehend the nutritional components and organic acids content of peppers for the purpose of advancing pepper breeding, it was imperative to analyze and compare the levels of nutritional components (capsanthin, capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin, reducing sugar, total amino acids, crude fat, crude fiber and protein) as well as organic acids content. In this study, 18 varieties of peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) were assessed for their nutrient compositions and organic acids. variance analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and hierarchical cluster analysis(HCA) were employed for data analysis. The levels of nutrient compositions, including capsanthin, capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin, reducing sugar, total amino acid, crude fat, crude fiber and protein, varied within the ranges of 11.63–71.75 ug g− 1 DW, 0.15–6.86 mg g− 1 DW, 0.05–4.74 mg g− 1 DW, 0.73–2.54%, 9.53–34.48%, 7.23–19.50%, 19.77–32.64% and 9.96–5.30%, respectively. Concerning 64 organic acids, 11 organic acids(3-D-hydroxybutyric acid, 3-hydroxyphenyl-hydracrylic acid, maslinic acid, 2-indolecarboxylic acid, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, carnosic acid, ethylmalonic acid, maleic acid, methylmalonic acid, oleanic acid and sebacic acid) were not detected. L-malic acid, cis-lactic acid and succinic acid were the main organic acids in 18 pepper varieties, ranking first, second and third respectively. Their concentrations accounted for 13.7% − 66.8%, 37.3% − 54.1%, and 3.1% − 18.3% of the total organic acid content respectively. PCA and HCA revealed that all pepper varieties formed three category, respectively. These nutritional profiles and organic acid compositions could be instrumental in pepper breeding programs aimed at developing novel cultivars, thereby expanding options for both producers and consumers.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-026-37078-w.