VARIATION OF WEIGHT LOSS, PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS, VITAMIN C OF DIFFERENT BELL PEPPER CULTIVARS FRUIT DURING STORAGE

The important factor that negatively impacts pepper fruits quality during shipment, storage and subsequent marketing is water loss. The current study investigated the variation of weight loss and internal quality of five coloured bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) fruits during storage at 10°C for 12 days. Our results showed that fruits’ water loss increased during storage in all cultivars. However, the degree of water loss was significantly different in pepper cultivars. In fact, some cultivars were more susceptible to water loss than others. There was a significant difference in fruit quality characteristics such as total phenolic content, vitamin C, sugar and acidity content among cultivars at harvest and during storage periods. In some genotypes, phenolic compounds and vitamin C increased slightly at the end of storage but in others, it was unchanged. Overall, the results demonstrated that changes of fruits weight loss, and total phenolic content and vitamin C during storage is significantly dependent on fruit cultivars.