Carotenoids and polyphenols in organic and conventional paprika powders
What it found
Organic and conventional paprika powders differed in their carotenoid and polyphenol levels, and the type of paprika mattered too.
The tests were done on shop-bought powder samples, not on people.
What they found
Total carotenoids
Conventional paprika powder had a higher total carotenoid content than organic paprika powder. Smoked and chili pepper powders had significantly more total carotenoids than sweet and hot paprika in both production systems.
Individual carotenoids
Organic samples had significantly more beta-carotene, capsorubin, alpha-carotene, cryptoflavin, beta-cryptoflavin, lutein and zeaxanthin. Conventional samples had significantly more cis-beta-carotene, cryptoxanthin and beta-cryptoxanthin.
Capsaicin
Conventional paprika powder contained more capsaicin than organic paprika powder. Chili pepper had the most capsaicin of all the paprika types tested.
Polyphenols
Conventional paprika powders had significantly more total polyphenols, total phenolic acids, gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, myricetin, quercetin, quercetin-3-o-glucoside and kaempferol. Organic samples had significantly more caffeic acid, ferulic acid, total flavonoids and quercetin-3-o-rutinoside.
Smoking effect
Smoked paprika samples contained almost twice the total carotenoids, and more zeaxanthin, than the other samples. The authors suggest the smoking process may make carotenoids more available.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that many factors, such as the type of product, processing method and type of production, appeared to have important effects on the quality and quantity of carotenoids and polyphenols in paprika powders.
- They note that many results highlighted the impact of different types of fresh bell peppers on carotenoid and polyphenols status, but not the difference between organic and conventional paprika products.
- They advise that the choice of an appropriate paprika preparation technique has a significant impact on the carotenoid and polyphenols contents of the products.
How it was done
The authors wanted to measure and identify carotenoids and polyphenols in different paprika samples, because there was little information on individual compounds in organic paprika products.
They bought sweet, hot, smoked and chili paprika powders from organic and conventional shops in Warsaw, Poland. Each type came from 6 boxes of 100 g from different delivery lots, and the powders were tested in the lab for carotenoids and polyphenols.
What it can’t tell you
- This study tested paprika powders in the lab, so it cannot show what happens when people eat them.
- The results are for the specific paprika samples bought in Warsaw shops and may not apply to paprika from other places or brands.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Poland
The paper
- Title
- Occurrence and Determination of Carotenoids and Polyphenols in Different Paprika Powders from Organic and Conventional Production
- Type
- Study
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Ponder A, Kulik K, Hallmann E (2021). Occurrence and Determination of Carotenoids and Polyphenols in Different Paprika Powders from Organic and Conventional Production. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland). doi:10.3390/molecules26102980Free full textPubMed 34067891DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error