Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Fermented “Dedo-de moça” Pepper Sauce

Abstract

The red peppers of the genus Capsicum have been much investigated as a new sourceof natural antioxidants. Studies show that they have antioxidant properties due to the presence of capsaicin and other bioactive compounds. Antioxidants are extremely important because they act on different mechanisms in food, including, breaking free radicals responsible for the oxidation reactions. This study aimed to evaluate th econtent of phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity by DPPH sauce fermented Capsicum baccatum var. pendulum (“Dedo-de-Moça”). The values of total phenolic compounds decreased with increasing concentration of sucrose, except for the sauce fermented with Lactobacillus brevis. The lowest IC50 value was observed for samples of sauce fermented with L. brevis and L. plantarum. Probably the antioxidant activity, this work is related to the concentration of carotenoids, observed by the tone of the sample with more intense staining (red-burgundy), in relation to the color presented at the beginning of fermentation (red-orange).