Recursos genéticos de pimentas (Capsicum, Solanaceae): qualidade de frutos após a colheita e ação dos compostos antioxidantes na prevenção da síndrome metabólica

Abstract

A considerable number of range of peppers of the Capsicum (Solanaceae) genus is cultivated worldwide, with different shapes, sizes, colors, pungency levels and nutritional composition. The use of these peppers is as big as their sorts of fruits. They are used for feeding, in medicine, in the decoration of environments and represent an important genetic heritage. There are five domesticated species of Capsicum: Capsicum annuum, C. baccatum, C. chinense, C. frutescens and C. pubescens. The general purpose of the present work was to contribute for the characterization of genetic resources of Capsicum gender peppers. Therefore, two chapters will be presented, whose purposes were to evaluate the genetic diversity to keep the fruit quality after harvesting of access pepper from the Genebank of Capsicum from Embrapa Temperate Agriculture; and check the action of the pepper bioactive compounds in the prevention of metabolic syndrome in animal model. In the first chapter, 12 accesses of local sorts of the Capsicum gender peppers were submitted to sensory evaluation and fruit conservation (C. baccatum, C. annuum, C. chinense and C. frutescens). A wide genetic diversity was noticed for fresh raw material and visual analysis (color, turgidity, defects, stalk look, brightness and general appearance of the ripe fruit). The access P179 (Capsicum baccatum) was highlighted, presenting a better post-harvesting quality, with a percentage of acceptance of over 70% during the five evaluations. In the second chapter, the evaluation of the ethanolic extract from the fruits of the access P179 was carried out, behavioral analysis of the Wistar rats and analysis of oxidative stress parameters in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and striated tissues. In the action of bioactive compounds from the pepper ethanolic extract in animal model on the prevention of metabolic syndrome, significant differences have been observed in the biochemical and behavioral parameters related to the pathogenesis of this syndrome, specially the total cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose in the blood. The extract of the access P179 shows anti depressive and anti peroxidative action in the animals. The access P179 from the Germplasm Active Bank of Capsicum from the Embrapa Clima Temperado presented higher results in the evaluations carried out. These results present new paths for the research with genetic resources of peppers and assure the success of development programs of new cultivars.